Highly Effective Meetings

Many people are 'meeting avoiders'. They have had so many experiences with meetings that accomplish nothing that they expect all meetings to be time wasters. Yet most organizations need various people to buy-in to key decisions and they often seek or require a consensus or majority decision.

Valuable time is wasted at meetings when they are not well planned. Effective meetings have a clear purpose, an agenda and background information that are provided to meeting invitees in advance, include only people who need to be involved in the agenda items, and hear and consider everyone’s perspective. If some of your meeting agenda items are relevant for all staff in your department and other agenda items only pertain to half of your staff, divide the topics into two groups. Once the topics that matter to everyone are addressed, don’t hold everyone captive. Release half of your staff to attend to other priorities while the smaller group continues meeting.

Groups of people don’t magically get on the same page. Meetings are essential in developing goals and strategies and in monitoring progress towards group results. Be deliberate about your meeting processes and experience the synergy and effectiveness of on-purpose meetings.?