Meetings. We love to hate them, don’t we? They’re like the kale of the corporate world – necessary, but oh-so-unappetizing. I honestly think running meetings is really difficult. I became tired of leading meetings that seem to have a life of their own, wandering aimlessly from one pointless discussion to another, and never having clarity for the purpose of the meeting. Honestly, this is one of the most complicated parts of my job for me. Yet, I knew this was the platform for my messaging, setting expectations, gathering feedback, collaborating, and taking action. So, I had to get this figured out….and fast. I have studied so many experts and have practiced and used all of these strategies and finally, I feel a lot more confident in this area. Meetings have become a lot more purposeful, but I still have to work really hard at it.
My goal for meetings is to get in, take action, get out, and have something to implement right away to take a step towards progress. I have studied all of the gurus and have failed time and time again. However, I have found some turning points that come in really handy and helped me to be a lot better at running productive, engaging, and efficient meetings.
Now, you know, I am a step by step kind of gal, so I put it all into really organized steps for you. Get ready to transform your meetings from time-wasters to game-changers…..if you commit to implementing, trial and error, and to keep at it!
Step 1: Define the Purpose and Desired Outcome
Let’s start by answering two simple questions: “Why the heck are we having this meeting?” and “What do we want to achieve by the end of it?” Basically, don’t call a meeting just because it’s on the calendar or because you’re feeling lonely.
Michael Hyatt emphasizes the importance of knowing exactly what you want to accomplish with the meeting. It’s crucial to have a clear goal in mind, and this goal should be communicated to all participants ahead of time.
Action Steps:
- Articulate the purpose like a boss.
- Define the desired outcomes like a pro.
For example, if the purpose is to brainstorm ideas for a new marketing campaign, the desired outcome could be a list of ideas that don’t suck. Then choose one or two to implement right away and check the engagement results after a period of time to see if it worked.
For me, I am a school leader so here is a meeting we are running next week:
Scenario: A meeting with teacher leaders to discuss the development of resources and engagement strategies for mini lessons and activities as part of the new science curriculum.
Desired Outcome: By the end of the meeting, all teachers should have collaboratively developed a year plan to lead their cohort to develop a set of resources and engaging strategies for mini lessons and activities that align with the new science curriculum. Teachers should leave the meeting with a clear plan of action for creating, implementing, and sharing these resources and strategies among the team. Additionally, the principal should have a list of any additional support or resources needed by the teachers for successful implementation, and a schedule for follow-up meetings or check-ins to monitor progress and share feedback.
In this scenario, the desired outcome is not just about understanding the new curriculum, but actively working together to develop resources and strategies that will help in effectively teaching the new curriculum in an engaging manner.
Step 2: Choose the Right Type of Meeting
Not all meetings are created equal. There are several flavors to choose from…
- Information Sharing Meetings: Where people share information. Groundbreaking, right?
- Decision-Making Meetings: Where decisions are made. Mind-blowing, I know.
- Problem-Solving Meetings: Where problems are solved. Revolutionary, isn’t it?
- Idea Generation Meetings: Where ideas are generated. Astonishing, indeed.
- Planning Meetings: Where plans are made. Shocking, truly.
Action Steps:
- Pick the type of meeting that aligns with your purpose and desired outcome. But when preparing for the meeting, make sure that the meeting includes all voices and some type of engagement strategy like turn and talks, annotating on chart paper, group work, sticky notes, wonder walls, backchat forums, etc. Also, ensure that every thing you include is connected to the purpose and desired outcome. No one wants to sit through an hour of one person talking or presenting
- Decide on the meeting format: virtual (because pants are optional), in-person (pants required), or hybrid (pants negotiable).
Step 3: Create an Agenda
I am a roadmap and template girl all the way! Mostly because I am directionally challenged and this keeps me navigating in the right direction. An agenda is like a roadmap for the meeting, but unlike your GPS, it won’t lead you down a one-way street in the wrong direction.
Action Steps:
- List down the topics or items that need to be discussed.
- Allocate a specific time for each item because time is money, and we’re not millionaires. This technique is important.
- Identify the person responsible for each discussion point.
- Think about how you will include all voices over a sit and get meeting.
- Share the agenda with participants ahead of time because no one likes surprises, especially in meetings.
Agenda Template:
- Opening: Welcome participants and provide a quick overview of the meeting’s purpose.
- Review of Previous Actions: Discuss the status of actions from previous meetings.
- Discussion Topics: List the topics, along with the person responsible for each, and the allocated time. Look for engaging ways to include all voices. This could be using an online forum like Backchat, google forms, sticky notes, chart paper, walk and talks, gallery walks, etc. This helps to save time and includes all voices.
- Action Items: Assign tasks and deadlines to individuals or teams.
- Closing: Summarize the meeting, reiterate action items, and thank participants.
Step 4: Invite the Right Participants
Invite only those whose presence is necessary for the meeting. This is not a party, and you’re not trying to win a popularity contest. You want people who will contribute, give feedback, approach feedback with curiosity and wonder rather than defensiveness and judgement, and be action oriented.
Action Steps:
- Identify the key participants required for the meeting.
- Send out invitations with the agenda, time, date, and location (or virtual meeting link).
- Send out the purpose and desired outcome that your group wants to achieve by the end of the meeting.
Step 5: Set Ground Rules
Setting ground rules is like laying down the law, but without the scary judge and jury.
Action Steps:
- Start the meeting by sharing the ground rules, e.g., one person speaks at a time, stick to the agenda, respect the time limit, etc.
Step 6: Facilitate the Meeting
As the meeting facilitator, you’re the ringmaster of this circus. It’s your job to guide the discussion, manage time, and ensure that the meeting doesn’t turn into a three-ring circus.
Action Steps:
- Start the meeting on time because punctuality is sexy.
- Welcome participants and briefly restate the purpose and desired outcome of the meeting.
- Stick to the agenda and manage time effectively because no one wants to be stuck in a meeting that feels like it’s never going to end.
- Encourage participation and ask for input from quieter team members because they might have brilliant ideas too.
- Capture key ideas, decisions, and action items during the meeting because you won’t remember everything.
- Summarize the discussion and confirm the next steps before ending the meeting because closure is important, folks.
Step 7: Document and Share Meeting Minutes
Meeting minutes are a written record of what was discussed and decided during the meeting. It’s like the highlight reel, but without the slow-motion replays and dramatic music.
Action Steps:
- Document the meeting minutes, including key decisions, action items, and deadlines.
- Share the minutes with all participants and relevant stakeholders promptly after the meeting because everyone needs to be in the loop.
- Meeting Minutes Template:
- Date and Time: Date and time of the meeting.
- Attendees: List of participants.
- Agenda Items: Summary of discussions for each agenda item.
- Decisions Made: List of decisions made during the meeting.
- Action Items: List of tasks assigned, along with the responsible person and deadline.
- Next Meeting: Date and time of the next meeting, if applicable.
Teach Your Colleagues
Here’s the thing…if you are struggling with how to run meetings, chances are your colleagues are too. Make sure you talk about how. torun efficient and productive meetings and teach them. Share this guide with your colleagues and encourage them to implement these practices in their meetings as well. You can also organize a training session to discuss these practices in detail and answer any questions they might have. Remember, the key to effective meetings lies in careful planning, active facilitation, and timely follow-up. And a little bit of humor never hurt anyone, right?
Evidence-Based Recommendations
You know those before and after photos of weight loss, hair styles, or home makeovers? Well, that’s evidence that what they implemented worked! And there is no better way to get people to take action then showing them what will happen if they implement. Ensure that you are setting expectations to gather evidence along. theway to help you all see whether or not what you are implementing is working. Be sure to have a before snap shot and then an after snapshot. This coud be data, test results, pictures, videos, work samples, etc. Setting a baseline can be key to building momentum because they can see how far they have come from the work they are doing.
Conclusion
Running productive meetings is not rocket science but somehow it seems sooooo hard! Planning is key. It also requires some planning, active facilitation, and timely follow-up. By following these steps and adding a dash of humor, you can transform your meetings from dread-inducing to delightful…ok maybe not delightful but way less painful!
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Hyatt, M. (2018). Free to Focus: A Total Productivity System to Achieve More by Doing Less. Baker Books.
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