Meetings are essential for collaboration, communication, and decision-making in any organization. However, not all meetings are productive or efficient, especially when there are multiple agenda items that require a decision. How can you effectively handle such situations and ensure that your meetings are not wasted time? Here are some tips to help you.
Before you schedule a meeting, you should have a clear and specific purpose for it. What are the main objectives and outcomes that you want to achieve? What are the agenda items that require a decision, and who are the decision-makers? How much time do you need to discuss each item, and what information or resources do you need to support your discussion? By defining the purpose of your meeting, you can set the scope, expectations, and priorities for yourself and your participants.
I've discovered that planning meetings is akin to charting a journey. Defining meeting purpose sets a clear direction. Quick Tip: Always outline your meeting's objectives and expected outcomes in the invitation. In closing, just as a well-planned journey leads to a desired destination, a well-defined meeting leads to successful outcomes.
Once you have defined the purpose of your meeting, you should communicate it to your participants in advance. Send them the agenda, the objectives, and the expected outcomes of the meeting, as well as any relevant documents or data that they need to review beforehand. Ask them to come prepared with their questions, opinions, and suggestions for each agenda item that requires a decision. Encourage them to share their feedback or concerns with you before the meeting, so that you can address them or incorporate them into the agenda.
Additionally, it might be a good idea to also share decision proposals upfront, instead of actively discussion what the decision should be. This requires more time on the host of the meeting and the one that needs the decision but can fastlane the process overall. Often putting the decision on the table well prepared and just getting confirmation is the better strategy then discussing options.
Preparing participants is like giving athletes a game plan before the match. Well-prepared participants contribute more effectively to meeting outcomes.
During the meeting, your role as a leader is to facilitate the discussion and guide the decision-making process. You should start by reviewing the agenda, the objectives, and the outcomes of the meeting, and establishing some ground rules for participation and interaction. Then, you should introduce each agenda item that requires a decision, and invite the participants to share their views, questions, and ideas. You should listen actively, acknowledge different perspectives, and ask clarifying or probing questions to elicit more information or insights. You should also summarize the main points, identify the areas of agreement or disagreement, and highlight the pros and cons of each option.
Have we been overlooking the importance of effective facilitation in meetings? Facilitation is vital for productive discussions. Avoid dominating the conversation; ensure everyone has a chance to contribute.
After you have facilitated the discussion for each agenda item that requires a decision, you should move to the decision-making stage. Depending on the nature and complexity of the decision, you can use different methods to reach a consensus, such as voting, ranking, weighting, or brainstorming. You should explain the criteria and the process for making the decision, and ensure that everyone understands and accepts it. You should also check for any objections, reservations, or doubts that might affect the implementation or the outcome of the decision. Once you have made the decision, you should confirm it with the participants, and document it for future reference.
The last step to effectively handle agenda items that require a decision is to follow up on the action that results from the decision. You should assign responsibilities and deadlines for each action item, and communicate them to the participants and other stakeholders. You should also monitor the progress and the impact of the action, and provide feedback and support as needed. You should also evaluate the effectiveness and the results of the decision, and learn from any challenges or mistakes that might occur.
Important to consider is also the level of communication required per decision. Some decisions do not require broader communication, others do. Also, depending on the decision it might be needed to take additional decisions in order to implement what has been decided on. Taking ownership of the implementation end-to-end will ensure success and prepare the organisations.