How to get the most bang for the buck at meetings

J.J. Keller & Associates

All of us at one time or another have attended a meeting that was going nowhere. How many times have you been in a meeting where, as you gaze around the room counting the number of attendees, you are amazed at the estimated costs of the meeting strictly from the standpoint of the participants’ salaries? Amid the limited meaningful discussion, you remind yourself that there is no agenda, no facilitator, and no progress.

Making a meeting successful requires a team of people who actively exchange ideas to accomplish a goal (or set of goals). To help ensure success, the members need to have a clear understanding of what needs to be done. Remember, the common goals of a meeting should be to exchange information, solve problems, share concerns, and make decisions.

Effective meetings begin with some basic rules that include:

• Developing a meeting agenda,

• Ensuring proper meeting facilitation,

• Keeping the meeting interesting,

• Expecting adequate preparation,

• Following established rules of conduct,

• Encouraging meaningful participation, and

• Recording meeting minutes.

Treasure map to golden guidance

Meeting agendas are essential to the smooth flow and efficiency of any meeting. At a minimum, agendas should include:

• The agenda topics, with a brief definition of each topic;

• The names of the presenters responsible for each topic;

• The estimated amount of time needed to present each topic; and

• Scheduled break times, if necessary.

• Develop and distribute copies of the agenda prior to the meeting. If one hasn’t been developed, spend the first few minutes of the meeting outlining one on a whiteboard or flipchart.

Easy peasy 1-2-3

Each meeting should have a facilitator who is responsible for keeping the meeting focused, structured, and productive. The role of facilitator is generally played by the project team leader; however, your team may decide to rotate the responsibility among its members.

Some responsibilities of the facilitator include keeping the discussion focused, intervening in discussions that become mul

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RAY CHISHTI