Transcript Meetings That Work

Planning and Facilitating
Effective Meetings


Renee A. Meyers,
Ph.D.
UWM Department of
Communication

MCW Women’s
Faculty Council

November 22, 2005
Are you lonely?
Tired of working on your own?
Do you HATE making decisions?
Hold A Meeting

You can:
–
–
–
–
SEE people
DRAW charts
FEEL important
IMPRESS your
colleagues
– EAT donuts


ALL ON
COMPANY TIME!!
MEETINGS . . . The
practical alternative to
work!!!
Importance of Mastering
Effective Meetings


One of the most important functions of
successful leaders in any organization
Effective meetings are often seen as a
“picture” (a first impression for
outsiders) of how the organization
operates overall
Overview of Session

Preparing for a meeting
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Facilitating meetings

Managing difficult communication
situations
Meeting Preparation

Preparing the
agenda
Sample Agendas


Evaluate the agenda I have provided.
Discuss with your neighbor what you
think needs to be done to make this
agenda better.
What do you find to be the most
common problems with agendas in
meetings you attend?
Preparing the Agenda

Soliciting and Organizing Items
– Solicit items using rule of “halves”—halfway to
next meeting you should have all items
– Prioritize items on agenda using rule of “thirds”
• a “get-go” phase--announcements, easy items
• a “heavy work” phase--decision-making
• a “decompression” phase--discussion only
– Identify main purpose of meeting, if possible
– List items in clauses or full sentences
– If item might be unclear, provide a reason or
rationale for it on agenda
Preparing the Agenda

Classifying Agenda Items
– Classify items according to action desired
• FI = For Information
• FD = For Discussion
• FA = For Action
– Indicate next to each agenda item the predicted
time allotted to that item
– Provide reports (executive summaries or
options memos) as needed
– Distribute agenda using rule of “three-quarters
Fix This Agenda
High Quality Medical College, Timbuktu, WI
Staff Meeting, Monday 10-noon, Conference Room J
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Announcements
Ask for additional agenda items
Report on curriculum task force
New technology
Discussion about office decorations
New curricular areas
Discussion on hires for next year
Ask if there are any suggestions for the next meeting
Adjourn
Is This Better?
High Quality Medical College, Timbuktu, WI
Staff Meeting, Monday 10-noon, Conference Room J
Purpose: To decide on new technology and curricular areas
1.
2.
3.
4.
FI: Information Sharing/Announcements (Penny, Sarah)
FI: Brief report from curriculum task force
FD: Discussion of office decorations (Matt)
FA: Decision about new technology (Sherry)
1.
5.
6.
45 min
Need to make final decision on whether to include a new curricular area—see options
memo attached)
FD: Discussion about new hires (personnel committee)
1.
7.
A proposal for updating our technology—see attached report
FA: Decision about new curricular areas (Bill, Jennifer)
1.
10 min
5 mi
5 min
40 min
5 min
George will discuss three options—see attached memo
FI: Short Feedback Session
10 min
Facilitating the Meeting—
Organization and Structure
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Starting the meeting
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During the meeting
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Ending the meeting
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After the meeting
Starting Meetings
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Establish (at least three) roles:
• Facilitator: person responsible for group
meeting process
• Recorder: Person who records minutes
(decisions made, agenda items discussed,
people present)
• Timekeeper: Person who monitors timeframes of agenda items and ending time of
meeting
Starting Meetings

Confirm Necessary Meeting Details:
• Confirm the purpose of meeting and required
outcomes
• Confirm ending time of meeting
• Confirm housekeeping details (breaks, food,
etc.)
• Establish any ground rules (if needed):
–
–
–
–
no smoking
not leaving until meeting is finished, etc
decision making or communication rules
Others?
Starting Meetings
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Information Sharing
• Might establish a few minutes at beginning of
each meeting for sharing information that is
relevant but does not require discussion
• If discussion is needed, or occurs, item should
be placed on agenda
• Only share necessary information; determine if
information can more efficiently be put in email
or memo
During the Meeting
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Work Through Agenda Items
•
•
•
•
Work through agenda items in order listed
Have timekeeper keep track of time (if wish)
Seek clarification whenever needed
Look for agreement among members and point
out any agreement you see
• At end, summarize discussion and decisions
made
During the Meeting
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Record-Keeping
• Records of meeting should include:
–
–
–
–
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Date/Time/Location
People present
People absent
Agenda items
Decisions made
• Write down each decision as it is reached
• Include any specific actions to be taken
• Note who will take action, and by what date
Ending the Meeting
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Discuss Next Meeting (if needed)
– Decide date, time, location, purpose of any
further meetings
– Choose facilitator, recorder, and
timekeeper for next meeting, or just rotate
roles on regular basis
Ending the Meeting

Feedback
• Have members complete KSS (Keep, Stop,
Start)
– What in this meeting went well and should be KEPT?
– What in this meeting did not go so well and should
be STOPPED?
– What did not happen at this meeting that should be
STARTED?
After the Meeting

Follow-Up and Accountability
• Circulate minutes to all participants
• Keep a decision book where all decisions are
recorded (optional)
• Might appoint a “decision-manager” who keeps
in contact with people designated to take action
on decisions made, and coaches them to meet
their commitments (optional)
Communication Issues: Dealing
with Difficult People
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
What are some of the main
communication issues present in the
meetings you have attended? Identify
2-3 that tend to send you “over the
edge.”
How might these be addressed?
Communication Issues
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Dominant and/or
Silent Members
Incessantly
Rambling Members
Members with
Irrelevant Ideas
Managing Dominant or Silent
Members
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Videotape a meeting
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Reduce the size of the group
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Have members write before speaking
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Have members take timed turns
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Distribute tokens
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Assign a task to the most dominant/silent member
Managing the Ramblers
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Remind the group of time pressures
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Summarize and redirect discussion
– It appears that we all agree on how to proceed
with this issue, so lets move on to . . .

Use relevancy challenges
– I am having trouble seeing how that fits in with our
item of discussion—can you please clarify?
Managing Irrelevant Ideas

Ask questions and paraphrase to clarify
understanding
– If I am understanding correctly, you are saying that
...
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Enhance the value of members’ comments
• Acknowledge merits of idea
• Explain any concerns you have
• Improve the usefulness of the idea by building on it or
asking others for suggestions
Guidelines for Competent
Communication in Meetings
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Organize your contributions
Speak when your contribution is
relevant
Make one point at a time
Speak clearly and assertively
Support your ideas with evidence
Listen actively to all aspects of
discussion
Additional Resources
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
Seibold, D. R., & Krikorian, D. H. (1997).
Planning and facilitating group meetings. In
L. R Frey & J. K. Barge (Eds.), Managing
group life: Communicating in decisionmaking groups (pp. 270-305). Boston:
Houghton Mifflin.
Tropman, John E. (1996). Making meetings
work: Achieving high quality group decisions.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Presentation Take-Aways
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Recognize what preparation is needed
Know how to facilitate a successful
meeting
– Prior to, during, and after meeting
– Have some strategies for managing the
difficult communication issues