The secret to better meetings? Setting simple ground rules

Why are some meetings highly productive while others descend into frustrating chaos? It all comes down to behaviour. Because, ultimately, everyone who participates in a meeting is responsible for its success. 

This is why your firm needs meeting ground rules. Meeting rules provide a framework for better meetings and a consistent approach for making every meeting count. In other words, you can say goodbye to frustrating, time-wasting meetings. 

Boilerplate rules that you can adapt

Meeting rules are most effective when they’re connected to your firm’s core values, so the best approach is to establish your own set of rules as a team (more on that coming up next).

To get you started, here are some suggested rules, based on Agendali’s research and experience. Feel free to adapt these to your firm’s needs. 

8 ‘pre-meeting’ rules 

1. Only have a meeting if a meeting is needed.
2. Be clear on the purpose and desired outcome.
3. Invite the right people. 
4. Give people enough notice (1–4 days, depending on the preparation required).
5. Prepare properly (a good rule of thumb is preparation should take as long as the meeting).
6. Contribute to the agenda.
7. Offer to help: lead topics, take notes and keep time
8. Be on time.

11 ‘in-meeting’ rules

1. Speak up to help ensure the rules are adhered to.
2. Contribute to discussions.
3. Assume everyone’s intention is positive.
4. Be brave and have the courage to have tough conversations.
5. Listen to understand.
6. Don’t stray off-topic.
7. Don’t interrupt.
8. Take a break if you need to and allow others to do the same. 
9. Review the actions.
10. End on time. 
11. Give the meeting a score and say why.

3 ‘after-meeting’ rules

1. Circulate the notes promptly. 
2. Read the meeting notes and provide feedback.
3. Keep the meeting host updated on your agreed actions.

Establishing your own meeting rules

Developing your meeting rules together, as a team, will help to ensure everyone accepts, supports and adheres to them. A one-off team meeting is the best way to come up with and agree your ground rules – and you can use the following framework to plan for this meeting: 

Meeting purpose

To agree a set of meeting rules that define how we behave in meetings. (If you think the term ‘meeting rules’ will cause resistance, consider ‘meeting code’ or ‘meeting manifesto’ instead.)

Desired outcome

A documented list of rules we’ll use to help us have highly productive meetings.

Meeting preparation

Everyone to research and consider the following in advance of the meeting:

• What are the costs of unproductive meetings?
• What are the top reasons for unproductive meetings?
• What are meeting ground rules?
• What are the benefits of using meeting rules?
• What are some examples of meeting rules?
• What are your suggestions for meeting rules to help us have better meetings?

Meeting agenda

Topic 1 | 10 minutes | The cost of unproductive meetings 

Everyone to share research on the cost of unproductive meetings and why meetings are unproductive and discuss the cost of meetings for our firm.

Topic 2 | 10 minutes | Overview of ground rules 

Everyone to share research on meeting rules, what benefits they have, and give three examples.

Topic 3 | 60 minutes | What are going to be our ground rules? 

Discuss and agree on the meeting rules that we are going to adopt.

Topic 4 | 10 minutes | Conclude 

Summarise the meeting rules, agree on a next action and score the meeting.

Once you’ve agreed your rules, here’s how to make them ‘stick’

Rules are only worth having if they are implemented and followed, so here are some tips to make sure your meeting ground rules stick:

• Consider displaying the meeting rules as a poster in meeting rooms.
• Encourage attendees to self-manage meetings according to the agreed rules. 
• Make the meeting rules part of your firm’s language and culture. For example, you could have a Dickey Rule for being on time, based on author Eric Jerome Dickey’s famous phrase, ‘Early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable.’ (You could even have a ‘Dickey Fine’ where the person who is late has to do something for the team.) Or there’s the Vegas Rule – what is said in the meeting stays in the meeting! This can really help participants open up.
• Rules MUST be supported and modelled by the firm’s leaders. As well as leading by example, leaders should publicly recognise colleagues who live the meeting rules and have a private conversation with those who do not.
• Including meeting behaviour in the performance review cycle helps to cement its importance – as does including meeting rules in the induction process for new employees.
• It’s really important that every meeting is scored. Publishing these scores (perhaps as part of the KPI process) enhances visibility and accountability.
• Encourage everyone to refine the meeting rules as your meetings evolve and become more successful. You could, for example, revisit your rules every year.
• Once the rules are embedded in day-to-day behaviour, encourage marketing and HR to share the rules on social media as a commitment to maximising productivity for the benefit of customers and employees.

Get more out of your firm’s meetings

Agendali’s meeting software provides a complete framework for better meetings, including a range of template agendas and performance metrics to measure success. Visit the website for more details and to register.