Meetings can be awesome (really!) Part 1: Planning

Part 2: Facilitating

Part 3: Finishing Strong

Meetings in your team or organization are_____??

A. An opportunity to collaborate and create breakthrough change.?

B. A soul-sucking waste of time.?

Here's hoping your answer is not B! When done right, meetings bring teams together to tackle complicated problems. They can be productive, inspiring, and even fun ??. When done incorrectly, they are a complete waste of time and resources.?

Do you want to be a leader who runs meetings that motivate and excite your team??

In part one of this three-part series, I will share tips on planning.? Here’s some advice from my WellSpan colleagues about the keys to planning an effective meeting.?

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“Understand what you want to accomplish from the meeting.”- Dr. Michael Seim , WellSpan senior vice president and chief quality officer??

There are many reasons to have a meeting. Some solve problems. Some give updates. Some search for consensus. What do you want to do in your meeting??

?Here's more advice from author and facilitator Priya Parker:?

“The more focused and particular a gathering is, the more narrowly it frames itself and the more passion it arises.”?

Check out some examples.?

• Instead of a meeting to increase patient satisfaction you can have a meeting to create an office where patients feel comforted, respected, and heard.?

• Instead of a meeting to improve patient access you can have a meeting to brainstorm methods to allow patients be seen when and where they desire.?

• Instead of a meeting to decrease employee burnout, you can have a meeting to develop a weekly program to make employees feel valued, encouraged, supported, and inspired.?

Now you are no longer just solving a problem. You are promoting a cause.?

“Gather the right people at the right time.”- Meagan Alan, MS, MBA, PA-C , WellSpan heart and vascular program administrator?

When was the last time you rearranged your schedule or skipped lunch to attend a meeting, only to discover that there was no reason for you to be there???

To avoid this situation, you need to be very intentional about the invitees and date for the meeting.?

Too often meetings are like weddings. We pick the time that works best for us and invite everyone, so no one feels left out (except for that weird uncle).???

Meetings are not weddings. Invite only those who need to be there and plan it for a time that works best for everyone.??

This can be tricky. We want to have a large group with diverse perspectives but not make it so big that it’s hard to participate. We want people who intimately know the issue, but we need “naive experts” to bring fresh ideas. We want our whole team to feel included, but we want to respect their need for autonomous time.?

Ask yourself this: “Who is required to get to a solution?” All others can get an email summary.?

There are no clear rules about when to have meetings in the day. There are pros and cons to scheduling meetings at different times during the day, so you need to consider your attendees. For example, lunch meetings don’t affect patient care, but they take away the part of the day when we could be refreshing ourselves or building relationships with coworkers. And need I say it? Friday afternoon meetings are the bane of everyone. Avoid ? them at all cost.?

Also, not all meetings need to be one hour. According to Parkinson's Law, work will always expand to fill the allotted time. To fight this, use meeting lengths that create a little pressure. For example, if you think it will take 30 minutes to get through the agenda, make it a 25-minute meeting and get right to business.?

“Always have an agenda.”- Shelly Janiszewski, WellSpan practice manager?

A well-curated agenda sends a message that this meeting is important and worth their time.? A tight agenda also sets the course of the meeting and creates boundaries that prevent useless tangents.?

Ideally, you want to provide the agenda at least 24 hours before the meeting so your team can come prepared about what to talk about (and what not to talk about).?

So, what are the most effective ways to create agendas??

Here are a few tips on meeting agendas:?

• Start with purpose: Why are you doing this and what do you need to accomplish.?

• Get input but own the agenda: Reach out to your team to create the agenda, but ultimately you own the agenda. Only add items that support the goal of the meeting.?

• Be specific: Be clear about the topic and the discussion. Specify what the group needs to accomplish for each topic.?

• Be realistic: Be ambitious but not naive. It’s better to end the meeting early than to rush through agenda items.??

If done properly, your agenda will keep you on task.??

Meetings don’t have to fill us with dread. When done correctly, meetings can make your team feel motivated and excited. Follow these steps to prepare for meetings that get stuff done.?

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