Making Meetings Productive

Meeting Agenda:

• Every meeting needs an agenda – usually in writing and circulated in advance.
• The agenda specifies the place, time and duration of the meeting and any other practical arrangements.
• Drawing up the agenda is a key responsibility – usually that of the leader / chairperson.
• Invite items for the agenda from the team or group.

Drawing up the agenda

• Specify circulation, including visitors
• Specify formalities – apologies for absence, introduction
• Items 1 is usually outstanding actions from the previous meeting
• Order the agenda carefully
• Specify who will lead or contribute to each item
• Set timings

Before the Meeting

• Ensure that the right people will be there (Chair’s responsibility)
• Select appropriate venue (Chair’s responsibility)
• Consider whether you should go or if you should delegate this task (member’s responsibility)
• Agenda content and timings should be realistic (Chair’s responsibility)

Leader’s Responsibilities

• Come prepared
• Be on time
• Start on time
• Ensure that administrative matters are dealt with (e.g., refreshments)
• Agree or appoint person to take the minutes
• Introduce people if necessary
• Set and keep the rules
• Control the discussion
• Chairperson’s rules: one person talks at once; the chairperson decides who.
• Encourage contributions where appropriate or necessary
• Ask questions to clarify matters
• Ensure that everyone has her/his say
• Act to keep the discussion to the point
• Listen
• Watch the time
• Summarise the discussion clearly, succinctly and at regular intervals
• Cope with upsets
• Make sure that follow-up actions are agreed and recorded with lead responsibilities noted
• Ensure that arrangements are in hand for writing and circulating the minutes within an agreed time frame.
• Be positive
• Create the right atmosphere for the task
• Generate interest and enthusiasm
• Be business like (purposeful)
• Make sure that individuals are able to play to their strengths
• Use overhead questions; questions put to the whole meeting
• Use overhead directed question: asking questions for a second time or to a particular individual
• Questions direct to an individual – to get an individual reaction or check understanding
• Rhetorical questions – to make a point or prompt thinking.
• Redirected questions – here a question directed to the chairperson is redirected to the meeting either as an overhead or direct question: ‘Good question. What do we all think?
• Development questions – to build on an answer to an earlier question. ‘So, John thinks that will take too long. Are there any more problems?
• Organise breaks
• Organise refreshment if possible
• Brief others as to how matters are to be handled.
• Never get upset or emotional yourself
• Isolate one element of what is being hotly debated and try to deal with that in way that reduces the overall temperature of the debate
• Summarise, conclude, acknowledge the issue, outline any action to be taken

Attendees of Meeting – Effective Participation

• Ask – what can I contribute?
• What can I get from it?
• Sound preparation
• Effective communication
• Read documents in advance
• Annotate documents and make your own notes as necessary
• Note who will attend so that you can take account of their roles and positions
• Plan questions
• Prepare your contribution
• Stick to the rules e.g., do not monopolise the conversation, constantly interrupt others, make it difficult to stick to the allotted time
• Get your facts right: be explicit, be accurate, be precise
• Always observe watch and listen actively
• Make notes, be seen to be listening.
• Avoid unnecessary jargon and complex sentences
• The situation may not be as you imagine – be flexible
• Consider how your comments will fit in with the context of the other views that are likely to be expressed.
• Play to your strength – are you best at introducing, developing or summarising an argument?
• Make your intentions clear. Reserve the right to make a further comment later.
• Remain alert and concentrate
• Think before speaking
• Remain calm
• The situation may not be as you imagine – be flexible.
• Consider how your comments will fit in with the context of other views that are likely to be expressed.
• Play to your strengths – are you best introducing, developing or summarising an argument?
• Make your intentions clear. Reserve the right to make a further comment later.
• Remain alert and concentrate
• Listen carefully and make notes as necessary

?