Your Meeting Should Have One of These 6 Purposes

To plan a great meeting, always start with the question, Why?

Better yet, answer the question, What will we have accomplished in the meeting if we are successful?

Meetings are expensive. Your coworkers are busy. Nobody is going to be happy if you call a meeting just for the heck of it. You better have a good reason for spending the money and adding one more commitment to people's already over-extended calendars.

There are at least six reasonable justifications for you to schedule a meeting. Think about the meetings over the next couple weeks that are on your calendar. If they can't be explained with one of the following reasons, you might want to consider canceling or bowing out.

1. Solve a Problem

These are my favorite types of meetings. There is a problem that may or may not be well defined. Someone wants it resolved and decides to call a meeting to fix it. Sometimes the resolution is found in a single meeting. Other problems are large enough to justify the formation of a project team or task force, and the members go about their work in a series of meetings. Here are examples of problem-solving meetings:

1. Eliminate cost from a budget.
2. Fix a process that isn't producing the expected results.
3. Formulate a response to a customer complaint.
4. Stop team members from behaving badly toward one another, AKA Team building meetings.

2. Make a Decision

There's a proposal on the table, and it's time to decide whether to move forward or not. The question might also be answered by selecting one or more viable options.

In either case, the time for action is near, and that action can start only after the group has reached a decision. Here are some common examples:

1. Decide whether to approve a proposed project.
2. Decide which finalist should be hired.
3. Select a vendor after collecting bids.

This meeting has a three common challenges that the planner must overcome.

1. The members of the deciding group don't all agree on what the right decision should be. That's why you need to meet!
2. The people in the group don't have equal power or influence. Always tricky when you want a group consensus.
3. The decision should never have been brought to a group in the first place. There was an individual who was responsible for making the decision. The meeting is a way to avoid responsibility.

3. Build a Plan

These meetings involve plenty of problem-solving and decision-making, but the main purpose is to establish the way forward. It could be a quick meeting to lay out the work plan for a shift. It might be a series of meetings to set the company's long-term direction. Here are additional examples:

1. Launch a new project team.
2. Plan an employee social event.
3. Set annual departmental work priorities.

This is the type of meeting I most commonly get asked to lead for my clients.

4. Share Information

Organizations have meetings because they want to convey information to a group. The worst of these are one-way, show-and-tell sessions. Most effective information sharing sessions will include time to ask questions or make comments. Here are a few examples:

1. Announce a new health insurance provider for all employees.
2. Make a sales presentation.
3. Update staff on company performance.

5. Gather Information

Sometimes people call a meeting because they need information from others. A meeting format opens up the opportunity for two-way interaction, which might help solicit better information from those who are supposed to provide it. Examples include:

1. Convene a focus group.
2. Review lessons learned at the completion of a project.
3. Conduct a job interview.

6. Build Skills

The goals of these meetings are to broaden or deepen knowledge and to build skills that ultimately translate into meaningful behavior change. Here are three examples:

1. Mentor one-on-one.
2. Deliver workshops.
3. Orient new employees.

Start With Purpose

Of course many meetings are comprised of several purposes. When I plan long, combination meetings, I find it helpful to think about individual segments as meetings unto themselves.

Before you call a meeting or plan one, you need to get clear about the reason you want to have it in the first place.

If the meeting you're thinking about doesn't fit into one of the six categories I've described, I'd be curious to know if you have another reason that you believe works. Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Should it turn out that you don't have a clear reason for holding the meeting, then do what you know you should do.

Strong, healthy, and inspiring organizations is what I focus on creating. If you want help with your workplace, I'd be delighted to lend a hand. To discuss your situation, grab a time on my calendar for a free introduction phone call.