Meeting Management

What happens in…

Monster Meetings Miracle Meetings

● False pretenses ● Snacks

● No agenda
● Bored
● Nastiness / anger
● A few people dominated
● Too much complaining
● Too long
● Physical environmental
● Clear next steps
● Balance hearing people /
openness with focus
● A person to keep track
● Sense of empowerment /
being heard
● Genuine deliberation, not a
foreordained outcome

Uses of Meetings

Not so good Good

● When an email would suffice ● Room for creative

● When an in person 1:1 brainstorming
meeting would suffice ● Multiple people getting on the
● When work needs to be same page
done to prepare ● To communicate on sensitive
topics
● When followed by questions
● Rehearsal
● To hear others’ questions /
feedback

What needs to happen ​before ​a meeting?

● Create the agenda
● Decide who should attend
● Schedule enough time
● Prepare presentations / materials
● Request info / materials needed
● Share agenda in advance
● Determine desired outcome reserve a space
● Order food

What should be on a meeting ​agenda?

​
● Objectives
● Achievable
 ● Important info like deadlines
● Questions for discussion
● Space / time on agenda for questions / discussion
● Time for each topic
● Who’s responsible for each topic
● Date / time / location

What should the meeting chair do ​during t​ he meeting?

● Overview / orientation
● Keep to the schedule
● Time for introductions
● Scan the room and intervene to make sure all is heard
● Advance notice of meeting interventions
● Make sure everyone has a voice
● Pause and give enough space
● ID action items

What person qualities does a meeting leader need?

● Discipline
● Organization
● Focus
● Listener / sensitivity mediator
● Thick skin

Useful Meeting Structures

1. Warmup
2. Focus
3. Parking lot
4. Evidence / interpretation / decision
5. 1-2-4-All
6. Anonymous post-its
7. Brainstorm and vote
8. Scrum

Brainstorm and Vote

Idea 1 → 4 votes
Idea 2 → 2 votes
Idea 3 → 7 votes

Scrum
● Good for project team meetings
● Each team member reports on:
 ○ Progress since last meeting
○ Goals for next meeting
○ Obstacles to progress

What ground rules can be effective in meetings?

● Pay attention
● Be on time
● Make eye contact
● Yielding the floor
● Moderate body language / language / volume
● Use of devices
● 1 diva / 1 mice
● Encourage sharing of mistakes / problems
● No interruptions
● Consider others’ point of view
● Statement about acceptance
● Create other avenues for sharing

Evaluating Meetings

+ Δ

● Clear ● Acoustics
● Organized ● Orange marker
● Participatory ● More space for monster /
miracle meetings
 Roles & Responsibilities

Costs / Risks of NOT Documenting Business Processes

● Cost knowledge if someone leaves
● Cost time recreating
● Can’t improve / evaluate
● Can’t shake it
● Redundancies / gaps

Benefits of Documenting Business Processes

● Mapping progress – precursor to improving
● Clearer sense of workload
● Clarifies expectations / increases accountability
● Easier to train
● Easier to delegate

WCMA Stakeholders
● Audience
○ Faculty
○ Staff
○ Students
● Colleagues
● Alumni
● Grant agencies
● Donors
● Facilities / security
● Artists
● Speakers / invited guests
● Williams leadership
● General public
● Vendors
● Contractors