Meetings are essential for any consulting project, but they can also be a source of frustration, confusion, and wasted time. How can you ensure that your meeting stays on track and achieves its objectives? Here are some tips to help you plan, run, and follow up on effective meetings.
Before you schedule a meeting, ask yourself what you want to accomplish and why. Is it to share information, brainstorm ideas, make decisions, or get feedback? Be specific and realistic about your goals and how they relate to the project scope and timeline. Write down the purpose of the meeting and communicate it to the attendees in advance.
Below is the strategy that worked very well for me: - Sent pre-read with clear objectives, analysis and decision points, if any - Set clear time for various sub-agenda items and do regular time checks moving to action items - Circulate post meeting notes, again, setting clear items for next steps/ meetings
Always start with the end in mind. I like to ask, "What do I want my client to feel at the end of the presentation?" Then work back from this. Knowing your goal, you can plan and structure your narrative, structure, content, and sequence to achieve your goals. This all starts with a clear purpose and goal. Understand your audience and understand their differing perspectives, and make distinct plans for each, and include content that supports your goal. Plan and rehearse this well, and make sure everyone knows their goal, and materials, and all supporting materials and resources to achieve your goal are in place.
Ensure that your meeting stays on track: 1. Meet only when really needed. Nothing can replace the written and agreed word. 2. Share in the invite a mandatory agenda with bullet points containing one way or another the following information: "As a <persona> I need to discuss <something> for <time> minutes because <reason>". 3. Make it mandatory to conclude with action items. 4. Make it mandatory for the requestor of the meeting to send the minutes.
"Beginning defines the End", this is true with all the meetings 1. Clarify why it's happening: Before organizing a meeting, ask yourself or the team initiating it: Why is this meeting necessary? Is it to make a decision, solve a problem, brainstorm ideas, share updates, or something else? Understanding the core reason behind the meeting helps set the direction 2. Define specific goals: Once you know 'WHY?', set clear, specific & achievable goals. These goals should outline what you aim to accomplish by the end of the meeting. For instance, if it's a decision-making meeting, the goal might be to select a new project direction or resolve a particular issue. Specific goals guide the discussion & keep everyone aligned toward common objective.
A few tips - Keeping the end in mind - Circulate and related material well in advance with the meeting members - Defining the objectives and outcomes of the meeting. -Avoiding discussing problems
An agenda is a roadmap for your meeting that outlines the topics, tasks, and time allocation. It helps you stay focused, avoid distractions, and manage expectations. To create an agenda, start with the most important and urgent items, and estimate how much time each one will take. Include a clear objective, action items, and responsibilities for each topic. Send the agenda to the attendees at least a day before the meeting and ask for their input and confirmation.
How many times have you walked into a meeting and it starts right up with no clear understanding of the plan or intent for the meeting? This is a guaranteed way to open the door for your meeting to get derailed. While I have always felt that meetings should provide opportunity for people to give open input and organic discussion, we all have far too many meetings on our schedule as it is. Respecting everyone's time is critical. Don't schedule meetings unless they are necessary, and don't start a meeting without an agenda. Oh, and if it takes you 5 minutes to cover what's on your agenda, that is where you need to focus most of your time re-thinking your approach to meetings.
Agenda's are extremely helpful to keep people on track. They do however focus on content and process. There are people here with their own objectives, ego and agenda. If these element show up (and it's NOT on the agenda) we need to -Acknowledge - the thought is pertinent -Disassociate - while relevent is not the purpose/outcome/direction for this meeting -Redirect - shift the focus back to the agenda in a nuanced way (too many ways to share here). The Acknowledgement is the key. People want to be heard, valued and respected. They want to be seen as part of the team. Don't forget this part of the practice of running a good meeting.
We use what we call The Level 10 Meeting. It's called a "Level 10" because most meetings are rated a 4 or 5, and this helps them get rated a 10. Here's the agenda: 1. Segue (everyone shares good news) 5 minutes 2. Scorecard Review (numbers) 5 minutes 3. Rock Review (priorities) 5 minutes 4. Headlines (are people happy?) 5 minutes 5. Todos (90% need to be done from last meeting) 5 minutes 6. IDS (Identify, discuss and solve issues in order of priority) 60 minutes 7. Conclude (recap todos created, cascading messages, rate 1-10) 5 minutes This is one of the most simple and powerful agendas we've found.
Creating an agenda is important, just like following it is. ..but one thing I always recommend is to have some breathing room in the same. Dont bloat each and every minute of the meeting with a topic. When individuals interact, there needs to be enough time for natural responses and questions. So always account for some space in the agenda.
the most singular objective of any meeting is the expected outcomes or agenda after the meeting. without one, any meeting is an objective waste of time or a social gathering. participants must have this objective embedded into them and be aware of how they will impact this expected objective
Depending on the type and format of your meeting, you may need to prepare some materials to support your discussion and decision making. These could include slides, documents, charts, data, or tools. Make sure that your materials are relevant, concise, and clear, and that they align with your agenda and purpose. Test your technology and equipment before the meeting and have a backup plan in case of any issues.
In this day of hybrid meetings and a lot of online activity, its easy to assume that all materials must be digital and easily assessible. For my meetings i love to try out how my participants understand the materials i share with them and other information they will need to ensure everything is going to run smoothly and they understand the 'ask' for the successful operation of the activities planned. Based on the agenda, the materials provided always helps the participant work from an aligned understanding of expected conversations, clarify assumptions and create an atmosphere of individual creativity and curiosity. Once tested and confirmed, we are usually good to go 99% of the time
Preparing for a meeting doesn't only means creating a Fancy PPT! Imagine the PowerPoint Presentation is like the seasoning in a dish—important, but not the only thing that makes the meal. Preparing for a meeting is more like being a chef: you need a variety of ingredients (like tested Technology & Equipment, Engaged Participants & Good Facilitation) to cook up a successful gathering. Just like you wouldn’t rely only on salt for a delicious meal, you can't rely solely on PowerPoint for a great meeting!
As the meeting leader, your role is to facilitate the discussion and ensure that everyone participates, contributes, and respects the rules. Start the meeting by reviewing the agenda and the purpose, and setting some ground rules for communication and collaboration. During the meeting, guide the conversation, ask questions, summarize key points, and resolve conflicts. Keep an eye on the time and the progress, and adjust the agenda if needed. End the meeting by recapping the outcomes, action items, and next steps.
As facilitator you steer the meeting and the message. Have clear goals, and a clear structure to support this. Make sure your support team know the roles they play, and practice your interactions and teamwork for full effect. Time is always a constraint, and watch this. But also know when to give time and space for impact to land, to support your goals. A great facilitator is well prepared, and understands not just the goal, but also the audience, their backgrounds and perspectives, and how this all relates and meets together with the materials and in the meeting.
Think about those dreadfully boring meetings we've all been a part of. The common thread? Dull facilitation! But with the right facilitation magic, we can turn that 'boring' into 'brilliant' quicker than you can say 'meeting adjournment'! To make an interesting meeting:- - Start engagingly with icebreakers or questions. - Mix activities up for a lively discussion. - Encourage diverse views and respectful debates. - Guide discussions gently and summarize key points. - Be interactive with visuals and open-ended questions. - Wrap up by asking for feedback and summarizing takeaways.
Facilitation is vital in any meeting so we prevent discussions going down a 'rabbit hole' Facilitation ensures that all discussion focus on arriving at the objectives of the meeting where possible. It also helps drive alignment between the participants and create a sense of direction towards making vital decisions as needed. Beyond story telling and creating a viable roadmap of conversational values, facilitating meetings is a vital leadership attribute that is needed every time, no matter the lenght, size or expected impact of the meeting. it ensures whatever decisions is or are made is an expected valuable outcome
I guide the discussion with incisive questions to extract key insights and make tough calls. I ensure we leverage the diverse expertise in the room while maintaining focus on agreed outcomes.
Effective team dynamics rely on strategic and well-executed meetings. The objective is to encourage creativity, foster collaboration, maximize productivity, and manage time efficiently. Unfortunately, poorly organized, excessive, or poorly timed meetings can undermine these objectives, resulting in counterproductive outcomes. This can negatively impact the team's overall performance and the satisfaction levels of team members. As a leader, it is crucial to ensure meetings conclude with a thorough summary of outcomes, clear action items, and well-defined next steps. This not only solidifies the purpose of the meeting but also transforms it into a strategic tool that positively influences team cohesion and performance.
The meeting is not over until you follow up on the results and make sure that everyone is on the same page and accountable. Within 24 hours of the meeting, send a summary of the meeting to the attendees and other stakeholders, highlighting the main points, decisions, action items, and deadlines. Ask for feedback and clarification if needed, and monitor the implementation of the tasks. Schedule a follow-up meeting if necessary to review the results and address any issues.
By following these tips, you can ensure that your meeting stays on track and delivers value to your project and your client. Effective meetings can boost your productivity, creativity, and collaboration, and help you achieve your consulting goals.
Following up is crucial. Most of us focus on nailing the meeting but we hardly follow up on the results. It is important to monitor the progress of meeting and its impact on the workflow. That way we can identify what is working and what is not.
Imagine the post-meeting process as nurturing your Garden. Sending out the meeting summary is like planting seeds; it's the moment you nurture decisions, deadlines & plans—the foundation for growth. As you monitor task progress, it's like checking the garden's health and ensuring each plant is thriving. And much like tending to the garden with occasional pruning and shaping for optimal growth, scheduling a follow-up meeting fine-tunes the outcomes, ensuring a fruitful project harvest. Just as a well-tended garden flourishes, nurturing meeting outcomes leads to successful and fruitful projects!
When following up on action items and holding people accountable after a meeting, it is important to start by showing appreciation for the team's contributions. Together, clarify expectations and encourage open communication about any challenges. Show empathy by offering support and resources, and positioning yourself as a collaborator rather than an authority figure. Schedule regular check-ins to discuss progress and express confidence in the team's abilities, emphasizing the value of each member's unique strengths. This approach creates a positive team culture that focuses on shared responsibility and commitment.
As an experienced product person, every meeting outcome, decisions, issues and more is always shared with all participants within 24hours. it is usually a tool of appreciation, direction, future progress, allocating tasks and deciding the direction of product delivery progress where necessary. Its also a tool to help get future collaborative response from participants where they are needed in the future - everyone likes a pat in the back - and that is ultimately the purpose of following up. It also helps to drive progress and ensure the collaborative spirit is on fire/course
My Top Tips, over and above what the article says and other experts have contributed: a) Duration is very important, specially for regular meetings. I suggest: 1-Share information: this meeting should not be more than 15 minutes and consider an email or an online meeting for this 2-Brainstorm ideas: this meeting can be up to an hour 3-Make decisions: this meeting should not take more than 30 minutes. Pre-worked could have been another meeting (perhaps type 2) 4- Get feedback: this meeting should not be more than 30 minutes. An article/ paper/ concept must be submitted in advance. 5-Board meetings can be a couple of hours to half a day .... more in next question...
To maintain focus and ensure meetings stay on track, set a clear agenda outlining objectives and time allocations for each topic. Assign a facilitator to guide discussions and prevent tangents. Encourage active participation while managing time effectively. Address deviations by politely steering discussions back to the agenda, prioritizing key points, and deferring non-urgent topics to later discussions or follow-ups. Regularly review progress and reiterate goals to keep everyone aligned, promoting efficiency and achieving meeting objectives.
"A successful meeting isn't about being in the room; it's about making room for success." The success in a meeting is achieved with clarity of purpose, active engagement, guided discussions, tangible outcomes, and a follow-up rhythm that ensures those outcomes flourish. It's where collaboration thrives, and every participant feels the value of their contribution.
Meetings are about coming together to do something. Start with thinking about why you need to gather those people and the objectives. IMO, the most critical elements are: - Planning, which could involve a catch up with the participants beforehand - Knowing the participants and the dynamics between each other - Every participant contributing and hopefully getting something out of the meeting To me, it's about a conversation with multiple people and so the key is to control the flow and the topic to hopefully get outcomes.
..in continuation with my above inputs... b) The minutes must be issued within 24 hours, or else any meeting becomes useless. Specially big meetings involving big people take weeks and months (also because the next meeting may be due in weeks and months) – the secretary simply says ‘I have drafted, but the boss is too busy to review, approve, and sign’. Even if the next meeting is due in months, those months are to take action on decisions taken.
Tracking time with Agenda! I believe that should be the minimum. If the teaming tends to go sloppy, bring your meeting back on track by - 1. parking the topic that may need further dwelling as a follow up 2. Allocating dedicated time to all speakers to ensure agenda is met. 3. having someone indicate when your talk time is about to get expired. Don't forget the MoM and a follow up meeting if required.