How to have effective meetings?
Meetings in organizations make great demands on one's time. To be effective, one has to be clear about the purpose before accepting or sending a meeting invitation.
Why are we having this meeting? Do we want a decision, do we want to inform, or do we want to make clear to ourselves what we should be doing?
Once the answer is clear, here are several tips that help to commit to an effective meeting.
Tip 1: Send out the agenda before the meeting starts
Dear colleagues,
This session aims to find solutions to the topic/issue xxx.
1. (Short) introduction of the topic/issue. (10 mins by the host)
2. (A list of questions specific to the topic)
3. Summary (5 mins by the host)
Here is a detailed introduction to the topic/issue (link).
Please don't accept the meeting if you only want to be informed about the topic. I will send out a Minute-of-Meeting afterward.
Best regards,
xxx
Let’s break down the email.
The invitation should be 100% clear about the aim. Only stating the topic is not enough; it is only the start. That’s been said. Don’t use verbs like discuss/brainstorm. Those words typically lead to endless talking without a conclusion or an action, as they are not emphasizing the result. A symptom of such a meeting is that many things have been discussed, but everyone is still confused. Some seconds after closing the meeting, nobody remembers what has been said.
The introduction should be as short as possible. Provide everyone with the resources to be sufficiently familiar with the topic beforehand.
Specify the topic one level deeper. This helps the participants to understand better and contribute. If you want to select a component for the next design, you will not discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the current design. Because you should have already done it. Instead, structure the meeting around selection requirements and options, like budget range, strength, functionality, effort, etc.
A meeting should end with clear action. The action should be the result of the discussion. The last several minutes should be dedicated to concluding. It doesn’t mean we have a find a solution for everything in the meeting. Occasionally, there are
Sometimes, when you are holding a meeting with someone who has the debrief prior to the meeting or someone already involved in the topic, the invitation can be even shorter to be directly to the point.
Agenda:
1. (Short) introduction of the topic/issue. (10 mins by the host)
2. (A list of questions specific to the topic)
3. Summary (5 mins by the host)
Tip 2: Ensure the contribution from every participant
Point the one that needs to do his/her homework before the meeting.
For example, “@meng, please check this component prior to the meeting, and prepare a comparison matrix. We need a list of suppliers to down-select.”
Of course, first time or occasionally, people don’t do what you asked for. Or simply didn’t read the content. Depending on your leverage, you can ask for commitment, close the meeting within five minutes, and reschedule it to another point. Most people you work closely with will respect you for cherishing everyone’s time.
Tip 3: Don’t plan a brainstorming session
Group brainstorming doesn’t work. See my previous post, Brainstorming? A Waste for more details. Cognitive bias and high walls of GroupThink lead to suboptimal outcomes, if not bad.
Tip 4: Follow-up MoM and action list
Don’t forget to send out the Minutes of the Meeting after the meeting. It will remind people about the discussion and conclusion. It sometimes also protects participants from comments without a source. You can even use AI tools to help you save time. For example, Teams recently opened a feature to allow AI to summarize the meeting.
Keep Learning! See you next week!
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