Fortune 500 Exec. on How to Run & Be Effective at Meetings

Effective and productive meetings are the desire of not only management, but equally of team and staff members.

Some leaders and staff are great at making meetings a learning and goal-achieving experience, others just straight stink and fail.

So what to do?

In an interview with Marillyn Henson, CEO and Chairman of aerospace and technologies powerhouse Lockheed Martin, she gave advice on how to run effective meetings.

Henson emphasized, “Whether you’re an early career professional or C-suite executive, remember you were invited because your perspective is valuable. So take ownership of the meeting....”

She offers 5 Tips:

1. BE PREPARED

Hard to believe but so many leaders don't come ready for a meeting. A few scribbled notes here or there. Sorry that won't work, so don’t wing it. It will show up and you'll come across as unprepared, at best, and a bumbling buffoon, at worst.

Henson says you must, "Have a detailed agenda. As a leader, provide materials before the meeting, so no one wastes time reading information.

Anticipate possible questions and have clear answers prepared.

Master your topic and your source(s) of information/data to back up your answers, recommendations or action steps."

2. BE PRESENT

We've all been in meetings and witnessed colleagues who by their body language, actions and words just don't like being there. They'd rather be watching grass grow than to be at the meeting.

Bad for morale and bad for company productivity.

Henson believes, "it's important not just show up for a meeting – but to be actively present and participate. Listen attentively and engage.

Put away your mobile phone and computer or lap top. Take written notes." (Editorial note: Nothing is more disruptive than a cell phone going off).

3. BE PRODUCTIVE

She adds that whether you called the meeting or were invited, keep a laser FOCUS on the purpose and agenda of the meeting —- i.e. don’t go off course.

Ask questions that further the agenda.

If a meeting goes off course, remind attendees of the scope of the meeting. Anything off tangent should be handled separately after the meeting.

4. BE PROACTIVE

Of major importance, according to Henson, is to, "Take ownership of your role in the meeting. Do not hesitate to share your ideas and input.

Don’t be passive assuming your input may not be that important. It could be a viewpoint no one else has considered!

5. BE OPEN

Lastly, she reminds us that, "Great leaders rarely make great decisions in a vacuum. They listen to varying viewpoints.

That means being inclusive —-encourage input, seek out new ideas, and invite different perspectives.

If you approach meetings in this intentional way, applying each of these ideas, you can be confident that you have laid the groundwork for strong decisions and effective execution.”

Editorial Note:

My One Additional Tip to those by offered Henson is this:

BE CONCISE.

Nothing can drain motivation at company meetings than long winded meetings. (e.g., when the phrase, “in the next hour we’ll cover....”, are uttered you usually hear a drain of energy).

Depending on your frequency of meetings, seek to keep them at 15-20 minutes.

Think TED talks, they're no longer than 18 Minutes!

Get to your point, make your point and move on.

ACTION STEPS

So, other than a Fortune 500 boardroom or corporate department meeting, where can an entrepreneur, small business CEO or business owner apply these tips?

At Company/Team Meetings.

At Investor Pitch meetings.

At Prospect/Sales Presentations.

At Trade Shows.

At Public Speaking Engagements.

At Networking Events.

At Interviews.

Drawing from your own experiences, what are your best tips for effective meetings?

In closing, be awesome and be productive at all meetings.

QUESTION?

Drawing from your own experience, what's your tips for effective meetings?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

LOUIS F. VARGAS is an Advisor & Sales Management Consultant to ?? Business Titans ??, an invite-only executive development and training company, and CMO of Brand TM, an Inc.500 media company and PwC affiliate, that helps companies accelerate sales growth.