Three Indispensable Skills for Managing Meetings
Meetings are a forum to foster information exchange, problem-solving, and team cohesion, yet many meetings fall short of these goals. The key to productive meetings lies in their organization and leadership. The organization of effective meetings include:
A workable meeting time: Choose a time that is convenient for all participants and minimizes disruptions. Avoid scheduling meetings during lunch breaks or late in the day when people may be tired or less focused.
Suitable meeting space: Ensure the meeting room or virtual platform is appropriate for the number of attendees and the nature of the discussion.
Appropriate attendees: Invite individuals who are directly relevant to the meeting's purpose and objectives. Avoid overloading the meeting with unnecessary participants.
An effective agenda: Create a detailed agenda that outlines the meeting's objectives, topics, and the time allocated to each. Share the agenda in advance to allow participants to prepare.
Identified action items: Assign tasks and deadlines to ensure follow-through.
On time opening and adjournment: This demonstrates respect for participants' time and encourages efficient discussions.
A well-organized meeting can help mitigate various issues, but it alone does not ensure overall effectiveness. The critical element for meeting effectiveness is skillful meeting management. Three indispensable skills meeting leaders must employ to manage meetings are opening the meeting, facilitating discussions, and closing the meeting.
Opening the Meeting: Purposefully telling attendees the meeting is beginning serves as a powerful tool for directing participants' focus. Even in settings where attendees are familiar with one another, calling the meeting to order is crucial in creating a conducive environment. Effectively opening a meeting includes:
Greeting participants
Building rapport by establishing a connection with attendees.
Briefly review key items on the agenda.
Clarify what is to be accomplished in the meeting.
And if needed, detailing any specific meeting protocols or rules.
In meetings where participants are less acquainted, the leader should also:
Introduce him or herself and highlight relevant credentials.
For meetings lasting around an hour, an open is about five minutes.
Facilitating Discussion: After opening the meeting, the leader introduces the first agenda item. A few agenda items may be announcements only, but for those agenda items that require discussion skillful facilitation is crucial for productive conversations. To stimulate meaningful exchanges and manage discussions, consider these strategies:
To start a discussion on an agenda item:
Introduce the topic clearly, including any boundaries.
Utilize breakout groups if needed for more in-depth discussions.
To guide the conversation, pose questions that require an explicit response.
To promote discussion, stop talking and listen:
The leader should resist the temptation to jump in and talk. Wait up to ten seconds and if discussion does not begin put participants in pairs or small groups and have them talk and then report out to the larger group.
Don’t assume to understand the meaning of each comment. Check for understanding by asking follow-up questions.
Distinguish between facts and opinions.
When the discussion is over - summarize:
The substantive part of a discussion often ends before participants stop talking. If the discussion seems stagnant the leader can jump in to recap key points, then allow time for additional input.
Move towards actionable outcomes by discussing the "how" and "who" for taking necessary steps.
Example: Let's start with our first agenda item: how to distribute Kevin's responsibilities during his six-week disability period. His absence will be from [start date] to [end date]. His job duties are listed at the bottom of the page. I'll briefly cover each duty, and I'd like each of you to propose solutions for managing the workload
Closing the Meeting: To effectively close a meeting the leader summarizes the highlights of the process. This includes important information that was shared, outcomes of agenda items, assigned action items and confirming or scheduling the next meeting if required.
A concise and straightforward closing ensures that the essential takeaways are crystal clear. Expressing appreciation for attendees’ participation is always an appropriate concluding comment.
By integrating these behaviors into your meeting management, you can foster engagement, streamline discussions, and steer your team towards more effective decision-making and problem-solving. Effective meeting leadership also involves being adaptable and responsive to the needs of the group. Sometimes, it may be necessary to adjust the agenda to address unexpected issues or to ensure that the meeting remains productive.
These core elements of meeting organization and leadership can encourage open communication and most importantly a meaningful outcome. Additionally, regularly soliciting feedback from participants can help identify areas for improvement and make future meetings even more productive.