By Mel Brown
Turning time spent in meetings into productive time—time that produces sustainable results—has to be a priority for any effective leader. Like any other leadership skill, meeting management can be learned.
Effective meeting management consists of three groups of management activities. Those three groups are actions taken prior to the meeting, during the meeting and after the meeting.
Failure to perform any of the three groups of meeting management activities will result in the meetings being unproductive and not worth the time you invested in them. On the other hand, performing the steps in each of the three areas will result in meetings that guide participants to achieve expected, positive and constructive results.
This month, we will pick up discussion of the topic by starting at the second group of meeting management activities—actions taken during the meeting.
During the meeting
Management and Organization Development Consultant Susan M. Heathfield stresses the importance of meeting facilitation skills. She notes,
“Effective use of meeting time builds enthusiasm for the topics discussed. It generates commitment and a feeling of accomplishment from the participants. People feel part of something bigger than their day-to-day challenges. Therefore, a well-facilitated, active meeting, that sets the stage for follow-up, will produce results.”
The meeting leader sets a positive productive tone for interaction among the meeting participants.
Start the meeting on time: Waiting for late comers to arrive before starting the meeting does three things:
• You punish those who are on time by making them sit and wait for those who are late.
• You reward those who are late by allowing them to control the actual start time of the meeting.
• You are spending a considerable amount of money for people to sit and accomplish nothing.
As Executive Director of the Montgomery County Department of Community Supervision and Corrections in Conroe, Texas, I started my Leadership Team meeting at 8:33 a.m. With the odd starting time, people remembered it, and they all knew we started at that time. (8:33 a.m. sounds like a very exact time and not an approximate time.) This gave people time to go to their office, get their copies of the agenda, back-up materials and any prepared notes, stop to get a cup of coffee, and get to the meeting on time. At 8:33 a.m. the meeting started.
Stick to the agenda: As the facilitator of the meeting, you should keep people focused on the agenda and not let them wander away from the purpose of the meeting.
Make assignments for follow-up work: Not all activity will happen in the meeting. Make sure people know both who will be responsible for what and the deadlines for completing the assigned project.
Set a time limit and stick to it: If necessary, schedule another follow-up meeting. It’s better to quit on a high note than to have people looking at their watches waiting for the meeting to end. If people know that the meeting will end on time, they are less reluctant to attend.
In short, to run a successful meeting, know what you want to accomplish, have a well-organized agenda, stick to the agenda, do your business and get out of the meeting.
Next month’s column will address actions taken after the meeting.
Questions regarding this column or suggestions of topics for future columns should be sent to ceo@melbrown.org.