Interesting discussion—or meaningful meeting?
| There’s a neat gadget on the office equipment market. It’s a little hand-held plastic item with a screen. You punch in the annual salaries of all the participants at your meeting, and as time goes by it calculates the cost of the time spent! Of course, participant salaries are just one component in the cost of a meeting. To those we must add salaries of support staff who prepared the discussion materials and perhaps set up the meeting; cost of photo copies and binders; overhead costs of the meeting room, or perhaps even rental if it’s an outside meeting; and since many folks today seem unable to focus without coffee and muffins, we must add the cost of snacks too. But the very fact that such a gadget as this exists is an indication that business people have become aware of the cost of meetings and may be trying to monitor and control them.
Of course, even with modern communication technology, there are certain situations in which nothing other than face-to-face discussion will do, and this will probably always be the case. So we can’t dispense with meetings; instead we must make them more productive, so that the cost will be justified. There seems to be general agreement among business executives, or at least the ones I have talked to, that many meetings are a waste of time because they accomplish little. Let’s look at some of the reasons for this, and how we can correct the problems. Unnecessary meetings There are many ways of transferring information from one person to many: a memo or letter, an e-mail message, a phone call, a fax message, a teleconference. Before calling your next meeting, consider whether another method would be simpler and more effective. Here are two situations in which a meeting would be the appropriate choice. • The discussion needs input and commitment from several people or departments. It’s an exercise in frustration to have a discussion with one person, only to discover you need information from someone else and permission from yet another before you can reach a decision. A meeting with all those concerned is more efficient. • The topic for discussion is a contentious one with the potential for conflict. If everyone hears the views of the other players and has an opportunity to voice an opinion, there is less room for later dispute. One major time-waster is the regular meeting. Why does the department always meet on Wednesday morning at 9 a.m.? Well, because that’s when the departmental meeting has always been held. That’s hardly a sensible reason, is it? But it’s the rationale for the regular squandering of an hour or more in companies across Canada (and probably around the world!) every week. Here are three suggestions to overcome the regular meeting problem. • Rotate the leadership. If the whole department meets regularly, have each person take a turn at leading the meeting. That person is responsible for setting and distributing the agenda, arranging the room details and conducting the discussion. In a very short time, it becomes clear whose meetings are effective and whose are not—and also what each person does to create that outcome. Everyone then has an opportunity to emulate the successful leaders and improve the meetings. • Beware of regular reports. These are often taken at the start of the meeting, and everyone must make one—whether or not they have anything of note to report. People’s attention is at its highest at the beginning of the meeting, so why waste it listening to ‘non-information’? Try leaving reports to the end of the agenda, and also make it acceptable for people to simply say they have nothing to report for that week. • Omit a meeting. When it’s your turn to lead the meeting, you might try the revolutionary tactic of checking to see if a meeting is actually needed for that week. Send an e-mail around the participants asking them to submit agenda items to you by a specified day and time. When you have a list, determine whether the items must be discussed that week, or could be left until the next. You may be surprised to find you can put the meeting off for one week, or at the very least it can be a much shorter session. Either way, you’ll be a hero! Too long, no focus An effective meeting must have a specific objective, one that can serve as a target. If you say you will meet “to discuss the new product launch”, that is an invitation to a rambling discussion with little or no result. On the other hand, “decide on the forum for the new product launch and put in place an advertising and promotion schedule” provides an objective that can not only be measured but can also serve to keep the discussion on track. If you find people are wandering off the subject, you can say something like, “This is interesting, but I don’t think it is helping us with the promotion schedule.” State your objective in writing at the top of the agenda, which should be sent out in advance to give participants an opportunity to prepare. State it again verbally at the beginning of the meeting to focus everyone’s attention on the topic at hand. The best way to keep the length of your meeting under control is simple. Set a time limit on discussion of each agenda item, and stick to it. If you seem to be stuck on one item, point out the time and ask participants if they would like to continue the discussion and take out another item, or hold this topic for continuation at another meeting. You’ll be amazed at how well this works, and if you develop a reputation for keeping your meetings to the allotted time, people will be happy to attend them. Floor hoggers Let’s face it: some people just like the sound of their own voices! Jill absolutely must add her comment on every point, even if it’s just to say she agrees. Martin seems congenitally unable to agree with anyone, and must state his opposing opinion loudly—every time. How do you handle them? One way is to set two limits: a limit on the length of time anyone may speak, and a limit on the number of times anyone may address any agenda item. If you state these clearly at the beginning of the meeting, you can then feel free to interrupt the culprits simply by saying they have now completed their time limit or their allotted number of comments. Nobody likes floor hoggers, so the rest of the participants will be silently cheering you on. Practise the art of getting your own point across effectively. If you can express your opinion clearly, helpfully and in as little time as possible, you will not only make practical use of meetings but will also earn the respect of your peers. Remember, there’s a world of difference between an interesting discussion and a meaningful meeting. © 2004 Helen Wilkie All Rights Reserved. You may reprint this article for your online or print publication so long as you include the complete article and the following paragraph: Helen Wilkie is a professional speaker, consultant and author who helps companies do better business through better communication. Her latest book is "The Hidden Profit Center". To received free monthly tips and techniques on communication, visit http://www.mhwcom.com or http://www.HiddenProfitCenter.com and sign up for "Communi-keys". Reach Helen Wilkie at 416-966-5023 or hwilkie@mhwcom.com |
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