Meeting Management

A significant portion of every day is spent in meetings. Studies have revealed that managers and senior managers spend as much as 30% and 59%, respectively, either participating or leading meetings.² Therefore how meetings are managed is an important success factor for an organization. To that end, there are practices that can be implemented to improve. While the following is not a comprehensive list, it offers areas for consideration:

·         The approach utilized for a given meeting should be based on its purpose. For example, decision-making or problem-solving meetings are improved by distributing preparation materials in advance. The idea is to set the stage for a productive outcome. It may also be of value to identify and communicate options for a decision to give participants something to consider and ponder before the session. Leaders may want to be cautious about how much information is distributed beforehand, particularly if the topic may be controversial or it is known that “camps have formed.”

Alternatively, information-sharing meetings require that the participants know what information they are expected to share and what others will be sharing.

Generally, the goal is to get everyone prepared for the meeting in advance and, to that end, any information that can facilitate participant preparation should be distributed.² Just before the meeting a leader should consult with participants to make sure they are prepared.²

·         Publish a proposed agenda in advance and ask participants to offer additional topics and suggestions. Decision-making meetings should avoid trying to cram in additional items so the meeting can maintain its focus on the decision. The first statement on the agenda should state the purpose of the meeting.¹ 

·         The decision to hold a meeting should be carefully considered because it is desirable for the benefits to equal or exceed costs. For example, if the collective annual salaries of those participating are $1 million, it costs approximately $500 for a 1-hour meeting ($1 million / 52 weeks / 40 hours = $480 per hour). Opportunity costs also need to be considered. It is possible that what the participants are not working on while attending is of greater value. I am not advocating a lengthy calculation but instead consideration that time is money and a meeting should only happen when real benefits exist. When handled properly, meetings can be an effective mechanism for the management of the organization, and the opposite is also true.²

·         For each meeting item on the agenda there should be an appointed discussant and a time limit set for discussing the idea; the objective is to optimize the use of time.¹ This type of structure is more important for information-sharing meetings. On the other hand, problem solving/decision-making meetings may steer away from a set agenda because it is hard to second-guess the direction a discussion will go.²

·         Meeting leads should only invite participants who can enhance the purpose of a meeting. If it is a decision-making meeting, it is vital those with authority to make a decision are present.¹ If it is an information-sharing session, the people attending must have the needed information. The meeting lead should also study and understand the material that is required so he/she can prompt participants to include that information. Decision-making meetings should be postponed until the right people are available to attend.

·         A person should be appointed to record minutes and deliverables should be documented; at the end of a session and the beginning of the next, the deliverables should be recounted. Always publish minutes soon after a meeting’s conclusion.¹

·         The meeting manager should keep the meeting focused and on track.¹ Allowing a conversation to wander decreases a meeting’s effectiveness. Managing a meeting process is as much art as it is science. Leaders of meetings can be task focused (“authoritative”) or laissez-faire;² the choice varies with the expected outcome. It also takes skill and attentiveness to know when a valuable topic is addressed that was not originally planned; new topics may require yet another session. 

·         The physical condition of the room is important. Conference room facilities may be in short supply and perhaps a meeting can only be held in one location, but to the extent possible, the layout of the room should facilitate discussion (round table versus rectangular) and the temperature of the room should meet the average comfort level.¹ Time of day is also relevant to the level of participation obtained;² energy levels ebb and flow throughout a day.

·         Order the needed equipment and technology in advance and the meeting lead should arrive early to make sure everything is working and ready.¹

 

·         Conduct a post-meeting evaluation process.¹ Future meetings can improve by looking at what happened in the past and implementing a plan for improvements.

Many organizations understand the need for managing their meeting processes. Even when this happens, there are distractors that need to be addressed either by establishing policies or through effective meeting management.

·         Technology: A recent phenomena is the use of mobile technology, answering emails or texting, while in a meeting. This could signal the wrong people are in the room or the meeting is not accomplishing its objectives. Multi-tasking is a misnomer. The mind can only hold one thought at a time; while texting or reading email, a person is incapable of doing something else in that moment (see the research on distracted driving).

o   Solution: Establish a no-mobile policy in meetings.

·         Disruptor: In a previous publication, I talked about a leader doing too much of the talking and not enough listening. A leader needs to squelch his or her tendency to dominate. Beyond the leader there may be other behaviors in a group that need to be managed. This can be observed as follows: (1) interrupting others, (2) long-winded answers and taking more than their fair share of the time, (3) complaining, (4) joking, (5) blaming, etc. For each disruption there is a corresponding response that can steer things back. If meetings devolve like this, then the meeting becomes a waste. 

o   Solution: Train appropriate staff on meeting management and how to properly steer a meeting back on course.

Organizational members and particularly those in management spend a great deal of time in meetings and it is essential that proper meeting management be applied. The above list, while not complete, offers ideas on how to improve.

Please feel free to make comments.

References

¹ Sandler, L. (2008), Becoming an Extraordinary Manager: The 5 Essentials to Success. New York: AMACOM

² Robbins, S.P., Hunsaker, P.L., (2006). Training in Interpersonal Skills, 4^th edition, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall