Effective Meetings Outline
Here’s a Effective Meetings Outline. Follow these guidelines for your “Get Out of Jail Card”.
If you haven’t listened to the associated podcast, you can find it here.
12 Responses to “Effective Meetings Outline”
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September 6th, 2005 at 8:23 am
[…] Effective Meetings Outline - [Manager Tools] […]
February 10th, 2006 at 12:25 pm
Many thanks for your great podcasts.
I especially enjoyed the Effective Meetings series. I joined an organization ten years ago that had introduced an ‘Effective Mtg’ system as you outlined. Everybody used it - and while I didn’t go on a formal course I quickly picked it up. It was a breath of fresh air.
At first everyone was very ‘rigid’ about the rules, and occasionally it felt stilted. Rather like having to learn musical scales. But what I noticed was that after time people adapted the rules to fit the types of meetings. The beauty was that everyone knew the rules instinctively - as if we were jazz musicians able to improvise around the same key.
I introduced some of the concepts when I chaired an industry association committee. At the end of my year’s tenure one industry veteran, many years my senior, told me he was sad to see me go. ” I only came because you knew how to run a meeting!”. His regular presence had benefited the committee tremendously.
Unfortunately my company got taken over - and the new organization’s culture dominated. Effective meetings was not part of that culture. However, I continue to use the concepts whenever I can to open others’ eyes. But inevitably I had lapsed because it often takes time to explain the groundrules to new players who might only be with us for a short time.
Your podcasts reinvigorated my commitment.
February 10th, 2006 at 5:15 pm
nachapman-
Thanks for the kind words! Someday, everybody will get it! Until then, consider yourself a pioneer hoping to become a settler.
It’s a privilege to serve you,
Mark
(the old joke is that in new territory, the way you can tell the difference between a pioneer and a settler is that the pioneer has arrows in his back.
)
February 17th, 2006 at 11:01 pm
Mike and Mark,
I just downloaded the template for effective meetings. I have a question about how to go about getting the faciliator/chair of the meeting to stop reading the information verbatim. I was in a meeting recently, reviewing policies pertaining to the structure of specific job roles in a busy trauma center. The facilitator and group reviewed the roles, but at the expense of the facilitator reading every single description. This individual is a MICRO-manager and cannot delegate and is extremely possessive. This individual is unorganized and a procrastinator. The agenda’s and handouts weren’t even distributed until the start of the meeting.
Ninety-nine percent of all the other committees I sit on have agendas, follow up minutes, and items to be reviewed sent via e-mail to all committee members a minimum of 1 week in advance. How can I as a subordinate help make this change? Is there anything I can really do?
I truly have enjoyed listening to these podcast’s. Thank you for the time and commitment in producing these. Top Notch!
February 18th, 2006 at 4:23 pm
Todd-
First off, thanks for the kind words. We really enjoy doing this (so much so that Mike is on a family skiing vacation this weekend and still approving posts, DESPITE my NEGATIVE advance feedback about it!). It’s gratifying to know that we’re making a difference.
Okay, now on to meetings. There are several things you COULD do but for now, I will take you at your word that this person won’t delegate and limit my suggestions to two.
First, you could talk to your fellow attendees in advance of a meeting, getting their agreement that you’re going to interrupt the leader and ask him to NOT read. it might sound like, “Bob, sorry to interrupt, but may I suggest that you not read the documents? We’ve all got them, and I think it would save some time to just skip that (and go on to whatever would happen next after he read)”. At this point, your fellow attendees had BETTER be chipping in with “Yes,” and, “I agree,” and, “Good idea.”
Now, he may say, “well, but we have to go over it, nobody’s read it…” At this point, you can either continue along the same line, and say, “I think we’re probably okay to read it ourselves…” and hopefully you’ll still have your chorus supporting you.
Or, to get to the more systematic issue, you could say, “I guess you’re right. Is there something we could do about that? We’d probably all (chorus anyone?) like to read them in advance - I certainly would take the time - that would save us the time when we’re all together.”
The second technique is, at the end of the meeting, ask if you can’t try a new meeting technique, to get some feedback from the group. This only works if the team is going to be around a while. Use the Hot Wash technique we’ve recently talked about. Have a flip chart ready, and ask the group for feedback and what went well and what to take a look at for future meetings. Hopefully, they’ll step up.
Lastly, it’s just possible that nothing you do is going to change this person. That’s fine. Accept life’s lack of perfection for what it is: life. And, run your own meetings like a professional, support OTHERS who do as well, and gradually the culture will change.
Mark
PS. There is one other thing I’ve done that works well, but it has more risk involved. Before the next meeting, send a mail requesting the agenda and handouts in advance, as in, “Bob, would love to see the handouts so I can prepare. No offense, but would rather like to avoid reading the handouts during the meeting. We’re all busy, and I don’t think that’s terribly effective.”
It works, but eggs DO get broken making this omelet.
H
February 25th, 2006 at 4:52 pm
Mark,
Thank you for the input. Again, I cannot get enough information out of the Podcasts. I learn something new every time I’ve listened to them. They have been extremely beneficial.
I am going to suggest in my next O3 that she do this in the future. The problem is, is that it goes on for a while, then after being told, it goes away for a short period only to return again. “Lisa” is a major procrastinator, thus the reasons for no one having the opportunity to preview the previous minutes and or current agenda.
As my wife has told me…… People in this position who cannot “manage” are elevated to a position of incompetence. I firmly believe that!
Fortunately the next meeting of this committee isn’t for another three weeks, but I will make sure to utilize “E-mail” to make my request.
Keep up the great work and just know, You have one more sold customer and I have been telling my colleagues about these podcasts.
Todd G
February 27th, 2006 at 1:32 am
Mike and Mark,
I’ve only recently stumbled on your podcast and think they’re great. I am now a subscriber and have been implementing many of your suggestions/strategies.
With respect to Effective Meetings, i agree that prompt meeting minute distribution is important, however i think one of the “groundrules” should be that everyone at the meeting is responsible for taking notes and actioning their respective items irrespective of when, or whether, the meeting minutes are distributed.
As a regular meeting facilitator and minute taker, I have occasionally have been lax in the distribution of the minutes and as a consequence have experienced issues where a meeting attendee complains that the minutes were not distributed in a timely enough period for them to action their item. To this i explain the minutes are a representation of the issues discussed and agreed and request all attendees to take notes and action items immediately (or within the timeframe agreed). However i think that by setting the “groundrules” with the regular meeting attendees up front, you can ensure an appropriate and timely action from the meeting attendees.
Just a thought!
Keep up the great work.
Troy
February 28th, 2006 at 2:02 am
Troy-
GREAT POST! You’re absolutely right. This is yet another point that we didn’t make clear in the cast - the notes are not where the responsibilities are!
We should have said it the way you did, and we’ll correct it next time.
Well done you!
It’s a privilege to serve you.
Mark
May 5th, 2006 at 4:29 pm
I just discovered this podcast. LOVE IT. Keep it up. And THANKS!!
I thought you said you would have an example agenda. I put together an ok agenda. I would just like to se an example of yours. thanks again.
David
May 6th, 2006 at 12:04 am
David,
Thanks for the kind remarks! Here’s the link to the sample meeting agenda: http://www.manager-tools.com/meeting-agenda-template/
Hope it proves useful!
best regards,
Mike
May 27th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
Dear Mike and Mark
As a new manager your podcasts have been invaluable and I thank you for the time and effort you invest in them making for a wonderful resource.
I am about to run my first team meeting and I have been prepaing the agenda for distribution. However, I’m not sure what a parking lot is? I live in the UK so maybe it’s an American term - could you explain please?
Keep up the good work and best regards from Blighty,
Gary
May 29th, 2007 at 1:58 am
Gary-
You gotta listen to the effective meetings cast! You can find the first of the three part series here:
http://www.manager-tools.com/2005/08/effective-meetings-get-out-of-jail/
Enjoy.
Mark