Whether in person, online, or over the phone, collaboration
can create amazing things that would be impossible for any single person to do
alone. A simple idea really, but like other basic truths we may take for
granted, meetings work, until they don’t.
Plan your meetings with the purpose in mind. Create an
agenda. If possible, distribute it before the meeting, but at a minimum review
it briefly at the start – and please stick to it. This doesn’t need to be
overly formal, a basic outline will probably be enough, but have something in
place. A meeting without an agenda is like a boat without oars. You’ll end up
somewhere, but likely not where you want to go.
All need not apply. The agenda may not engage everyone equally,
but each person should have a relevant role and purpose. Anything else is a
waste of time.
Pay attention! Unless you’re an on-call surgeon or leading
the mission to Mars, there’s no reason you can’t devote your attention to the
meeting. If you can’t participate without checking your phone or tablet I’m not
interested in meeting with you.
If side issues arise, quickly delegate another time to
discuss in more detail and return the meeting to the original focus. Don’t be
hijacked.
If issues will remain unresolved after the meeting, assign
any necessary tasks as needed and follow up. Whether you call it a to-do list,
action items, or something else, without this, nothing will happen and everyone
will end up right where they were at the start.
We have all been to terrible meetings. Improve the next one
with a little careful planning. Meet with a purpose, invite the right people,
participate and follow up. You might just find that you can transform a waste
of time into a useful productive tool for your organization.
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