MEETING MANAGEMENT Info from Thomsett, Michael C. The Little Black Book of Business Meetings, (New York: Amacom), 1989. Required Skill Sets for Conducting Successful Meetings Knowledge/understanding of: ¥ when a meeting is needed ¥ types of meetings and when to use what type ¥ critical components of meetings ¥ meeting "ground rules" ¥ evaluation of meetings for future improvement Competency in: ¥ organizational skills (e.g., setting agendas, arranging facilities, etc.) ¥ delegating assignments ¥ keeping meeting on agenda ¥ enforcing "ground rules" ¥ encouraging discussion/participation ¥ discouraging intimidation or monopolization of conversation ¥ achieving consensus ¥ moving toward goals Purpose of Meetings When is a meeting appropriate? ¥ problems to be addressed are common to a group ¥ info is needed in both directions ¥ decisions are to be made collectively ¥ responsibility for a given problem is not clear ¥ group wants to meet with you When is a meeting probably not the best course of action? ¥ issues require singular communication ¥ no specific agenda ¥ issues should be discussed privately ¥ another way is as effective (e.g., memo, phone call) ¥ decision has already been made What makes meetings effective? ¥ limited participation - all in attendance are essential to the agenda ¥ specific agenda - limited number of specific topics to be addressed and resolved ¥ time limits - start on time - length determined prior to start - end on time ¥ control issues - meetings should not be a completely democratic process - need a facilitator/moderator/leader ¥ generation of alternatives - solutions may come from anyone - if alternatives are not being sought, should you have a meeting? ¥ clear follow-up - who is responsible for taking action on what by when Types of Meetings Informational ¥ chance for discussion/debate is limited ¥ tends to be "top-down" (e.g., announcement of policies, etc.) ¥ when it involves seeking information, participants should be given adequate preparation time ¥ WARNING: information may be imparted in a more efficient manner Problem-solving ¥ discussion/debate highly encouraged ¥ should result in decisions and follow-through measures ¥ WARNING: do not call a meeting if decision has already been made Creative Ñ "brainstorming" ¥ discussion/debate highly encouraged ¥ allows combination of partial ideas into tangible avenues for new ideas, products, services, or procedures ¥ will not necessarily result in decisions ¥ WARNING: can easily become unproductive if no decisions/actions result Training ¥ discussion/debate is limited ¥ WARNING: must have a carefully organized and well-planned agenda, with each element timed and scheduled Status report ¥ discussion/debate is generally limited ¥ participants should give concise, planned reports ¥ should include only limited number of people ¥ WARNING: once its effectiveness is realized, there is often a tendency to add more attendees, thus hampering effectiveness General ¥ called to clear up a number of agenda items ¥ probably includes several elements of the meeting types listed above ¥ WARNING: attendee list often includes people who have little or no interest in many parts of the agenda, thus wastes time Critical Components of Meetings Determining appropriate attendees Everyone who attends should benefit in some way. Ensure that all of the people in the meeting ¥ need to be there ¥ have a direct interest in the issues ¥ are able to contribute information, ideas or solutions essential to the purpose of the meeting ¥ problem-solving meetings - who has direct interest? - who can contribute info or ideas essential to purpose? ¥ status meetings - who is directly involved in/responsible for scheduling and work execution? - who directly influences progress of the job? ¥ information meetings - who needs to be informed in person? - who has the information that is needed? ¥ work meetings - who will work directly on project? Critical Components of Meetings (continued) Setting agendas ¥ give the meeting a title - clarifies focus and range of topics to be discussed ¥ give time and location - include start and stop times - identify exact room - if necessary, reserve the room (before distributing agenda) ¥ state theme and definition - brief description of meeting's central theme - define problem or range of problems to be addressed ¥ list attendees - include their departments (if not universally known) - identify meeting leader ¥ topics - title for each agenda item - description of problem - goal(s) to be accomplished during meeting Minutes ¥ date and time of meeting ¥ attendees ¥ agenda topics discussed ¥ definition of problems ¥ alternatives presented ¥ solutions agreed on ¥ assignments made and accepted ¥ deadlines ¥ follow-up actions Critical Components of Meetings (continued) Meeting "Ground Rules" ¥ Pre-announced agenda - delivered prior to day of meeting - agenda to every attendee ¥ Verified attendance - those who can't attend contact you prior to meeting ¥ Uninterrupted meetings - only emergency situations pull people from meetings - those needing to use phone should leave the room ¥ Adherence to agenda - non-agenda items are discussed only when group concurs item is of critical importance to agenda topic ¥ Achievement of specific result - attendees are clear on the topic of the meeting - attendees are clear on the purpose of the meeting ¥ Identification of meeting leader - attendees need to know who will guide the meeting, and will expect the leader to do just that ¥ Recognized method of debate (if debate/discussion is appropriate) - accept discussion as a requirement - raise opposing points of view Delegation of responsibility ¥ identification of responsibility - who is responsible for this assignment? ¥ don't allow delegation turn around - do not take on task because you're the leader and no one else has volunteered ¥ ask attendees who should do the job - don't delegate without consulting the group ¥ don't overload one person ¥ beware the silent attendee - all attendees should have a valid reason for being at the meeting; if someone isn't right for assignments, should they be in the meeting? - is there a reason for silence (e.g., intimidation, uncertainty?) Time control techniques ¥ keep the focus narrow ¥ use the argument of time ¥ have previous notes handy ¥ don't add to the agenda ¥ start/stop on time Meeting Evaluations Was there an effective agenda? ¥ did it address necessary issues? ¥ did it flow logically? Were the issues confronted? ¥ were tough issues avoided? ¥ were definitions of solution sought? ¥ were assignments made? Did you perform the way you wanted to? ¥ were you firm and assertive? ¥ were you fair to all attendees? ¥ did you encourage everyone to speak out? ¥ did you discourage intimidation/monopolization of conversation? How did you handle new ideas? ¥ were you open-minded to possibilities? ¥ were speakers given a fair chance to explain ideas? Did you act to improve the meeting quality? ¥ did you take any actions to make the meeting better than the one before? ¥ what steps can you now take to make the next meeting better?