How to Run an Effective Meeting

Preliminary Thoughts
Who likes a meeting Without a clearly defined agenda That seems to drag-on forever That rambles from topic-to-topic That ends without any apparent result? These types of meetings are Frustrating A waste of one of the most valuable resources of any organization time.

Meeting Management A Leadership Responsibility

Many people are promoted, elevated, or elected into leadership positions without receiving any formal training or education on how to run an effective meeting.

Seniority

Why Effective Meetings?

Time: a critical resource Opportunity Costs
For-profit environment, example: a one-hour meeting with 2 managers and 4 engineers:
manager: `100.00/hour ` 200.00 engineers: ` 60.00/hour ` 240.00 Total ` 440.00

Not-for-profit or professional society environment volunteers do not want their time wasted ineffective meetings cause discontent

Meetings
Characteristics of negative meetings:  83% drift from the subject  77% poor preparation  74% questionable effectiveness  68% lack of listening  62% verbose participants  60% length  51% lack of participation
From Achieving Effective Meetings Not Easy But Possible, Bradford D. Smart in a survey of 635 executives.

Effective Meetings
What people are looking for in effective meetings :
      

88% participation 66% define the meetings purpose 62% address each item on the agenda 59% assign follow-up action 47% record discussion 46% invite essential personnel 36% publish an agenda

From GM Consultants, Pittsburgh, PA 1993

Elements of an Effective Meeting

Effective meetings dont just happen
Require deliberate planning Must be conducted in an effective and efficient manner Responsibility of leader

Types of Meetings
Formal or Informal
With agenda, rules of procedure, minutes or

Casual and relaxed - structure but nothing written

Planning
To prepare or evaluate a plan To seek information

Reporting
Progress to date

Providing information or status reporting

Types of Meetings
Administrative
Regular Staff Meetings

Monthly Executive Committee Meetings

Decision Brainstorming Combinations

Before the Meeting

Define the purpose of the meeting. Identify the participants. Every invitee should have a role. Identify a recorder or secretary. Prepare an agenda in advance of the meeting. Communicate the intent of each agenda item using labels such as (A) Action, (I) Information, (V) Vote. Identify estimate of time allocated to the agenda item.

Before the Meeting, contd

Prepare or identify background information. Assign responsibilities for agenda items and communicate to those responsible. Publish the agenda and identify background information to be reviewed. Plan for breaks lunch, coffee, etc.

Before the Meeting, contd

Think through the conduct of the meeting - Use a trusted member of your staff or deputy. Consider logistics Room layout, seating, distractions, etc. Support items projector, white board, pens, etc.

The Bell Shaped Agenda

Item 1: Welcome Item 2: Minutes Item 3: Announcements
Purpose of the Bell Shaped Agenda is to structure events around the groups energy and attention. The first few items help the meeting participants to work as a group on easy items before they tackle more difficult items.

non-controversial short example: upcoming events

Item 4: Easy Item

More than one item may be included in this section, but should not be controversial

The Bell Shaped Agenda, contd

Item 5: Hardest Item
Why in the middle? Attendance: late comers have arrived and early-leavers have not left. Attention: focused on meeting by this time, not yet concerned with next appointment.

Item 6: For Discussion Only

Will often be presented as Item 5: Hardest Item at subsequent meeting for vote or decision.

The Bell Shaped Agenda, contd

Item 7: Easiest Item
End of this meeting is the beginning of next meeting. End on positive note of agreement and encouragement. Good time for member recognition.

The Agenda
Executive Committee Meeting 28 August 2003 1:00 P.M. 4:00 P.M. Agenda Item 1 Introductions & Welcome Agenda Item 2 Approval of Minutes Agenda Item 3 Member Recruiting Agenda Item 4 Investment Strategy (I) (V) (I) (V) Chair Chair Membership Chair Finance Chair Demographic Survey Data 2002 Final Budget 2003 Budget Estimate Hilton Hotel Garden Terrace I Hilton Head, SC 15 Minutes 5 Minutes 30 Minutes 30 Minutes

During the Meeting

Arrive early Arrange the room if necessary Know how to control the lighting and temperature in the room. Distribute handouts. Begin on time. Introduce members if not familiar; introduce visitors. Establish ground rules, if necessary. Run the meeting.

During the Meeting, contd

Control interruptions ask that cell phones and pagers be turned-off. Identify and record results. Assign responsibilities for follow-up Action Registry. End on time. Thank participants for their input and reinforce the importance of outcomes on the organization.

Meeting Room
Space matters!
Members must be able to easily see one another. Room should be comfortable temperature. Adequate space for planners, notebooks, or laptops People should be able to hear the discussion easily. If it is a large group, the meetings facilitator should consider standing.

Meeting Room Arrangements

Theater Style Leader has great power by position. Participation and interruption by audience is limited.

U-Shaped Style Equality of membership. No doubt of who the leader is. Good visibility for visual aids.

Circle Style Democratic: equality is stressed. Great visibility by participants. Obvious body language. Excellent participation.

Member Roles The Chair

Prepare for the meeting. Appoint secretary/minute taker if there is not a regular. Conduct and control the meeting. watch timing or assign someone to this responsibility ensure all have an equal opportunity to speak adjudicate as and when necessary effect compromise on occasion

The Chair, contd

Close each item Ensure action is clear By whom and by when Check that the minutes are produced accurately and in timely manner

Member Roles The Secretary

Ensure agenda and relevant papers are distributed in time with date, time and place of meeting. Prepare and book the meeting space. Have background papers and information for the chair. Carry a copy of: (1) the constitution, (2) rules of procedure, (3) previous minutes. Record names of attendees and apologies for absence - check quorum.

The Secretary, contd

Take notes of what is said and decided Minimum necessary: mixture of mnemonics and full transcript amount of detail depends on nature and purpose of meeting must be enough to enable accurate minutes Essential to have: gist of discussions exact words of proposals names of those proposing and seconding names of those responsible for future actions Write the minutes - preferably as soon as possible

Members in General
People often react to other people - not to their ideas. Chair must stress that effectiveness = disregard for personal or departmental allegiances. Self perception - some see themselves as elder statesman, joker, voice of reason. Group Building Roles
The Initiator The Opinion Giver The Elaborator Suggests new/different ideas/approaches States pertinent beliefs about the discussion or others' suggestions Builds on suggestions made by others

Members in General Supportive

Maintenance Roles
The Tension Reliever The Compromiser The Clarifier The Tester The Summarizer The Harmonizer The Encourager The Gate Keeper Uses humor or calls for a break at appropriate moments Willing to yield when necessary for progress Offers rationales, probes for meaning, restates problems Raises questions to test if group is ready to come to a decision Tries to pull discussion together, reviews progress so far Mediates differences of opinion, reconciles points of view Praises and supports others in their contributions Keeps communications open, creates opportunities for participation

Members in General Disruptive

Group Blocking Roles
The Aggressor The Blocker The Withdrawer The Recognition Seeker The Topic Jumper The Dominator The Special Pleader The Playboy/Girl The Self-Confessor The Devil's Advocate Deflates status of others, disagrees and criticizes Stubbornly disagrees, cites unrelated material, returns to previous topics Will not participate, private conversations, takes copious personal notes Boasts and talks excessively Continually changes the subject Tries to take over, asserts authority, manipulates the group Draws attention to own concerns Shows off, tells funny stories, nonchalant, cynical Talks irrelevantly of own feelings and insights More devil than advocate!

Based on HC Wedgewood's Fewer Camels, More Horses: Where Committees Go Wrong. Personnel, Vol 44, No 4, July-Aug 1967, pp62-87. Quoted in Pearce, Figgens & Golen. Principles of Communication. New York, John Wiley & Sons, 1984, pp. 383-384.

Member Stereotypes
Stereotypes You May Expect to Find in a Group
The Chatterbox The Sleeper The Destroyer The Rationalist The Trapper The Know-All The Thinker Talks continually, rarely on the topic, has little to contribute Uninterested in the proceedings, some can sleep with eyes open! Crushes any and every idea, can always find something wrong Makes worthwhile contributions, ideas are well thoughtout Waits for opportune moment to show error has been made likes to trap the Chair Tries to monopolize, but can have good ideas Shy and slow to come forward, but is a great asset

Based on Sadler and Tucker. Common Ground. South Melbourne, Macmillan, 1981. pg. 82.

How to Deal with Disruptive Members

Make sure that all meeting participants understand their responsibilities.
All members were invited to the meeting for a reason All members should feel free to contribute

Members who are silent

Begin meetings by engaging every member of the group Bill, havent you done this in your work? What was your experience?" "Janet, youve been rather quiet to this point, do you have an opinion or an idea?" Consider breaking larger group into smaller groups to develop input

How to Deal with Disruptive Members

Members who are vocally dominant
Redirect discussion to other members
"We all recognize your expertise in this area, but lets hear from some others in case some new ideas emerge. "John has made his opinion clear; does anyone else have something they would like to add?"

Members who are negative

Probe the negativity to validate concerns Redirect discussion to other members If behavior persists, consider speaking off-line or excluding them from future meetings
Lets not shoot down this idea prematurely; lets give it some time for evaluation."

After the Meeting

Publish the minutes promptly. Identify responsibilities for action items. Assess the meeting.

Parliamentary Procedures
Roberts Rules of Order Parliamentary guide for running meetings. First Edition February 1876 Guiding principle, by General Henry Martyn Robert: All shall be heard, but the majority shall decide For details, see Meetings and Parliamentary Procedures Simplified, by Irving Engelson.

Additional Thoughts
Dont Read to the Group Place more emphasis on processing information, than on giving information A meeting is a place to discuss an issue to assure agreement or full understanding. Everyone contributes to a meetings success. Everyone must do their part. When possible, make sure the right people are at the meeting. If the material covered is not relevant to some people, arrange to have them excused from that portion of the meeting. Make sure all meeting participants understand their responsibilities

Additional Thoughts, contd

Balance participation
Meetings will have people who are silent, vocally dominant, or negative. The facilitator/chairperson as well as members of the group can redirect this unproductive behavior

Allow time for process and group development

Checking off agenda items in a rapid-fire process is not always productive. It may move the meeting along more quickly, but may leave you wondering what happened? when its over.

Final Thoughts
Praise! Praise! Praise! Praise people twice as much as you criticize. Never let any good deed or action go unheralded in the group. Say thank you publicly at every meeting. Recognize the value of peoples contributions at the beginning or within the meeting. Plan. Plan. Plan. Meeting design is the Number 1 mechanism for effective meetings. For each agenda item, make sure the group is clear about the goals, processes, and functions. Never, Never, Never attempt to compose, draft, or edit a report or document in committee!

Summary
The techniques described in this presentation can be applied to any type of meeting you encounter. Consider compiling your own list of successful techniques based on specific meetings. Effective meetings are the result of deliberate planning.

References
H. C. Wedgewood, Fewer Camels, More Horses: Where Committees Go Wrong, Personnel, Vol. 44, No. 4, July-Aug 1967. A. Jay, How to Run a Meeting, Harvard Business Review, March-April 1976, pp. 43-57. Sadler and Tucker, Common Ground, South Melbourne, Macmillan, 1981. Pearce, Figgens & Golen, Principles of Communication, New York, John Wiley & Sons, 1984. B. L. Shoop, How to run an Effective Meeting, Focal Point, Optical Society of America, October 1996. Reprinted in IEEE CrossTalk, Vol. XXXIV, No. 8, January 1998.