Seven secrets to productive meetings

Over the course of my career, I have had the opportunity to work with thousands of people from small companies to huge conglomerates. There are some truths that transgress all companies regardless of size. Two of those truths are that meetings are essential to accomplishments and that meetings are a total waste of time.

It is easy to see that these two statements are completely contradictory. It seems illogical the same people who view meetings as an important business practice also feel they are a complete waste of time.

Jim was a liaison between the corporate office and 30 distribution centers. He once confided in me that during his 48-hour workweek he attended an average of 45 meetings.

“How do you get anything done,” I asked him.

“Sometimes I wonder if I ever do get anything done,” he replied.

This was somewhat intriguing as Jim had a well-established reputation of getting things done. People throughout our company and the companies that supplied us saw Jim has the “go-to” guy -- the guy that made things happen.

Perhaps it was natural to wonder how someone involved in this many meetings could have established such repute. Knowing my curiosity would overcome me, I paid particular attention to Jim when we were in meetings together. Although I learned a few things from Jim, I also learned that the key to his success at work was a willingness to come in very early and stay very late. In other words, his reputation was based on the ability to get most of his work done outside of the meetings -- essentially on his own time.

It is no wonder Jim viewed meetings as a total waste of time.

Bob, a vice president, was also in heavy demand for meetings. Like Jim, he would field close to 40 or 50 meeting requests every week. Unlike Jim, he only attended a handful of meetings each week.

Even though Bob turned down most requests for meetings, he had the viewpoint that meetings were not only vital, but extremely productive.

Having the benefit of being a direct report to Bob, I was able to discuss his philosophy on meetings. The lesson was one of the most important keys to productivity and progress that I have ever received. 

Seven secrets to productive meetings

By comparing and contrasting Bob and Jim, along with my own personal meeting experiences, I discovered how to make every meeting a productive meeting.

1.     Always, always, always have an agenda.

It is surprising that the thing that makes a meeting most successful is seldom ever at a meeting. Bob knew this and had a plan to overcome this meeting faux pas. He never held a meeting where a detailed agenda had not been prepared and sent to attendees in advance. If it was someone else's meeting, Bob would take his own agenda anyways. 

When the meeting started and no agenda was present, Bob would interrupt the meeting host with a remark spoken in soft terms such as, “I hope I’m not out of line, but I tried to capture what we wanted to accomplish in this meeting in this agenda.” With the host’s permission he would then pass out his agenda.

2.     Make sure the agenda is specific.

An effective agenda includes detailed topics along with a timeframe or discussion. There is no place on a good agenda for catchalls such as “old business” or “general discussion”. Each topic should have a different presenter to keep the meeting interest. The meeting’s moderator is responsible for maintaining the timeline.

3.     Start on time. 

Jim once told me he was able to make a call or two or answer e-mail by getting to a meeting late. He said, “most meetings start five to 10 minutes after they're supposed to, so why should I be there on time?” 

Bob felt it was important to start on time out of respect for those people arrived on time. 

Even Jim knew Bob would start his meeting on time, so he never arrived late to Bob’s meetings.

4.     Be prepared.

When Bob sent out his agenda to the presenters of each topic he was sending out a hidden message that you needed to be prepared. People attending Bob’s meetings knew they would be called on and a lack of preparation would equal embarrassment.

5.     Stay on topic. 

While most people think “hot” topics or disagreements should be explored during a meeting, Bob always pushed these controversies to smaller committees following the meeting. He saw no reason to involve an entire group in heated debates that would be more quickly resolved by the subject matter experts.

6.     End your meeting 55 minutes after it starts.

Early in my career I went to several meetings conducted by IBM. They had an interesting philosophy that no one's attention would last longer than 50 to 55 minutes. This would allow attendees to stay attentive to the meeting topic knowing they would have time to get to their next meeting or back to their office. 

For longer training sessions that could not possibly be held in the short time frame, they stayed true to their philosophy by having a 10-minute break within each hour.

7.     Never, never, never meet on a regular timetable. 

The reason Bob turned on so many meetings was simply because he wanted every meeting to be special. Each meeting needs to have a specific purpose, such as resolving a specific problem or taking advantage of a specific opportunity. Daily, weekly, and biweekly meetings tend to be status updates, which are better suited for memos.

Transitioning from unproductive to productive

I can almost hear the naysayer complaining that these seven secrets will never work in their environment. Relating is easy, as I did not believe these would work either. Experimenting with one or two at a time validated my opinion that the old meeting philosophies could not be improved or replaced. It was not until I took a deep dive by firmly following all seven at the same time in every meeting. After a period of time, people got the message that the meetings would be run on-time, on-topic, and without boring sidebar discussions.

Once people understand that meetings will be disciplined, add an element of fun once in a while. Perhaps you unexpectedly have ice cream brought it. Maybe you have someone present their topic using props to keep people attentive. Whatever you choose to break the monotony of today's boring meetings, you will be a success!

This is an excerpt from “Life’s Leadership Lessons” a collection of 53 anecdotal leadership lessons, each with an anecdote and the application of the topic in your everyday life. It is designed for use in weekly staff meetings or for personal development.

About the author:

Rick Weaver has half a century’s experience in leadership development in retailing. He founded Max Impact Corporation, a leadership and business development consultancy company in 2002. His major accomplishments include working himself from stock clerk to director at a Fortune 50 retail chain and building a $40MM+ construction company in under 5 years. Today Max Impact offers staffing services as a franchisee of Patrice & Associates providing Executive Search, Management Recruiting, and Contract Staffing services.