Everybody complains about meetings . . . they\u2019re too long, boring, and don\u2019t accomplish anything. Or as humorist Dave Barry puts it, \u201cIf you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be ‘meetings.’ \u201c Unfortunately, too many meetings in American businesses today deserve the bad rap they get. They are, in fact, too long, boring, and don\u2019t accomplish anything. But they don\u2019t have to be that way. On the contrary, well-conceived, well-executed meetings can play a vital role in communicating effectively, coordinating complex activities, and solving knotty problems. For a few thoughts on how to turn your meetings from boring, pointless affairs into dynamic, productive, useful sessions, please continue reading below.<\/p>\n
\u201cHas anyone ever said, ‘I wish I could go to more meetings today’?\u201d<\/strong> \u00a0~Matt Mullenweg<\/em><\/p>\n I don\u2019t know who Matt is, but he asks a valid question with an obvious answer. But why? Why do people often dread going to meetings and consider them a waste of time. Most if not all of the blame lies at the feet of the meeting organizer. The organizer is asking people to take time out from their primary responsibilities to sit in a meeting room, so there had better be a good reason for it, and the organizer had better prepare well for it. When the organizer doesn\u2019t prepare properly for the meeting and hopes to get away with just \u201cwinging it,\u201d the meeting will be DOA.<\/p>\n Here are a few things that will help a meeting organizer to run an effective meeting:<\/p>\n Dan Pink, noted business writer and lecturer, has an interesting take on what makes for a good meeting. He asks, does the meeting involve conflict? Anxiety? Tension? In other words, there has to be something important at stake . . . an outcome that we care about. And is there a reasonable expectation that we\u2019ll be able to resolve something? He makes a good point. If there\u2019s nothing important at stake and no outcome we care about, why are we bothering to meet about it?<\/p>\n Pink also notes that \u201comnibus meetings\u201d . . . those that cover big things, little things, long-term things, short-term things, tactics, strategies . . . are usually ineffective. There\u2019s such a potpourri of stuff on the agenda that people get lost as to what they\u2019re supposed to do with it all. It\u2019s better, he says, to have several short, highly focused meetings than it is to have one long catchall meeting.<\/p>\n Some companies are using daily check-ins (sometimes called, huddles) as effective communication and coordination tools. The idea is for every department, shift, or team to gather at the beginning of the workday for a \u201cstanding\u201d meeting . . . no chairs. The unspoken message is, \u201cwe don\u2019t need chairs because we\u2019re not going to be here long enough to sit.\u201d It\u2019s a time for announcements, if any, to be made, but mostly a time to coordinate the unit\u2019s activities so that everyone knows what to expect during the day and what they should expect to accomplish before quitting time. Five minutes max.<\/p>\n Beware of regularly scheduled meetings, as for instance a weekly \u201cstaff meeting.\u201d These are meetings that people dutifully file into because their calendar says they\u2019re supposed to, but they have no real idea what to expect or what is to be accomplished. Meetings like this are what make people wonder, \u201cWhy are we here and why are we wasting our time? This is pointless!\u201d<\/p>\n Meetings can and should be indispensable business tools, but use them sparingly. And when you do use them, make sure meeting participants understand the importance of what\u2019s to be discussed and the importance of what you expect the meeting to accomplish.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Everybody complains about meetings . . . they\u2019re too long, boring, and don\u2019t accomplish anything. Or as humorist Dave Barry puts it, \u201cIf you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be ‘meetings.’ \u201c Unfortunately, too many<\/p>\n\n