Have we been so overcome by meetings that we have forgotten the purpose of meetings? Or how to hold a meeting properly? OMG! I attend so many meetings a week that ultimately do nothing more than gather people in a room while accomplishing very little to nothing at all. Is this okay? In todays fiscally responsible companies, have they reviewed how much money is wasted on meetings? A room of ten people, at $40.00 an hour, for one hour equals $400.00 spent. But is that all? Time spent to get ready for meeting; time spent with conversations following meeting; time spent to figure out what you were in the middle of prior to meeting so you can “get back to work”???? Really, $400.00 may not seem like much at a glance, but when you perform an analysis of production lost by each member, it can become astounding. Why?
We hold meetings for a variety of reasons, but if we strip it down to the fundamental reason it could be because of egos. It could be because of inadequacies. It could be because some are unable to move on without a committee agreeing on what to do next. It could also be very much needed.
Meetings can be worthy if held correctly, but in order for that to happen, everyone involved must have ownership or ‘buy-in’. Without ownership, one person can disrupt a meeting. That is all it takes. So here are my factors to holding a meeting:
1. Invite only those who will provide input. Inviting people just to include them prevents their production elsewhere and becomes a fiscal drain.
2. Have a clear agenda. Share the agenda days before the meeting so everyone has time to come prepared.
3. If someone comes unprepared to the meeting, ask them to leave. If they have nothing to provide because they are unprepared, politely ask them to go back to what they were doing before the meeting so you do not lose their productivity, and ask them to come to the next meeting prepared or they will not be invited again. I know this is harsh, but do it once to one person, and everyone will get a clear message that the meetings are important.
4. Hold tight to the agenda and timeframe. Never schedule a meeting for an hour if you only need 30 minutes. This helps your workforce to plan their day appropriately. Do not allow the meeting to stray too far from the agenda. If more needs to be discussed, establish a parking lot for those points and get back to that person at another time. Most points that stray from the agenda can be handled one on one so you are not wasting valuable time of others.
5. At the end of the meeting, do a quick wrap up of discussion points and action items so everything is clear and no one leaves more confused, then follow-up with an email of the minutes to all. This will ensure your people know what was accomplished, and what action items there may be.
I find that most meetings can be handled more often as a one on one than requiring a group of people together in a room. Ask yourself, does it require a meeting for the information I need? If it really does not, then don’t have a meeting. Get off your butt and go see those whose input you need and quit calling everyone in a room. You are wasting valuable production time. Remember, YOU (anyone at the table) need to be the most prepared at the meeting. If everyone feels this way, then EVERYONE will be the most prepared.
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