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Sooner or later, we are involved in the discussion of “when to meet”. Meetings held within your company can be easier to schedule than in non-business situations. But not always. I have worked in many organizations where the hardest part of the meeting was scheduling the next one!
In order to have meeting participants in attendance, on time, and prepared, give careful thought to your meeting time. Elements to consider include: availability, facilities or location, time required to prepare, deadlines related to the content, connected events, and probably more.
In general, however, avoid late afternoons before a holiday or the first morning after a holiday. Friday afternoons, in the US, can be problemmatic because people may plan to leave early or are mentally getting ready for the weekend. Most research suggests a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday are best. Morning tends to be the time of day because most people are more alert then.
Non-business groups or volunteer associations such as professional societies or community commitments must meet outside of normal work hours. This can present a challenge. Usually, they meet either in the evening of a weekday or early morning (pre-work day). Again, even if you meet in the evening, earlier is better than later to get the full energy and brainpower of attendees.
Father’s Day got me thinking about my parents and my life. I remembered a great speech I saw some years ago.
I had the good fortune to see the late Ann Richards (Texas Governor 1991 -1995) speak to the Simmons Leadership Conference, put on by the Simmons College School of Management. She was no longer in elected office but was appearing in various venues to share her always-sharp viewpoints on politics and life. She was funny, irreverent, and insightful.
In her speech, Ms. Richards shared her “List Of What I Want For The Rest of My Life.” I wrote them down because they seemed so perfect for anyone. Here they are:
1. Make a good living
2. Work with people I like
3. Work to improve the world my grandchildren will inherit
4. Travel for fun
5. Learn new things
I will be thrilled if the rest of my life meets these objectives!
I have seen the term “facilitator” used in a variety of ways. Sometimes it is used to mean a trainer. Other times it means the same as moderator. What is your definition?
My definition is a blend of many others I have seen through the years plus my own emphasis. So if you recognize your definition in mine, please accept my gratitude for giving me a useful tool! Here’s my definition:
A facilitator is someone who contributes structure and process to meetings so groups and individuals are able to function effectively, think productively, and make high-quality decisions.
Facilitation is a skill that focuses on upgrading the process of meetings in order to improve the quality of the meeting results. A trained and experienced facilitator understands meeting dynamics and brings to bear techniques to ensure the client gets the desired outcome. She or he is responsible for harnessing the group’s energy and setting it to work on a given task.
Management of organizations is not easy in an era characterized by constant change and an unpredictable political and economic environment. A professional facilitator can help a team or organization move forward productively, whether on a single topic or a strategic plan. Typical instances where a facilitator can make a big difference include:
• If you are scheduling a strategic planning “retreat” to decide where your
company, organization or department is going over the next three to five years
• If you want innovative thinking on a recurring task
• If critical meetings go on and on without a decision
• When you have lots of ideas but can’t get them to solution stage
I’ve always hated taking minutes of meetings. No one reads them and it takes forever to write them. Plus you lose the input of the person in the meeting who has to take notes.
Really, who cares what all the discussion was about? What people care about is what decisions were made and what will happen next.
So I recommend groups create what I call a “Decision Board.”
What you do is capture on a flipchart any decisions made on the agenda or even off-agenda. So you might have something that looks like:
Agenda item #1: Identify the appropriate target audience for this product and schedule three focus groups with them. Show prototype. Must be finished by 60 days from now. Peg will spearhead this effort.
A Decision Board also can include a decision to put off making a final decision until the next meeting.
The value of this tool is to remind the group of what was decided and provides members with a focused set of minutes. I recommend the Decision Board be typed up and sent out after the meeting as a reminder of what was accomplished.
Note: there are times that actual minutes are required for legal purposes.
When you are arranging a meeting, give thought to what size room is necessary for the full group. What furniture arrangement will support the meeting topic and the tone you desire? Is a boardroom style better than a U-shape arrangement? Would a casual, living room-style setup be more appropriate?
Make sure the chairs are comfortable if you’re asking people to stay for more than an hour.
Also, decide if the meeting is best held on-site or off-site. Off-site locations tend to be best for creative problem solving or brainstorming because the new environment and fewer interruptions enhance focus and creative thinking.
Recently I was asked why write about meetings? Nothing can be done and how much can be said, anyway? With this in mind, I am reprinting here my very first post on this blog. It explains everything about why I blog on this topic!
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Almost from the moment we are born, we are in and out of meetings. Meetings with family, with friends, with teachers or doctors, with sports teams or scouts or clubs. We learned a lot, consciously and unconsciously, about how meetings work through all those years of being a member, an observer, an ignored attendee, even an unwilling participant.
But the meetings I want to write about are the ones we attend as adults. Or at least as people who can have an impact on what is talked about and how it is talked about.
Most of us, in a work or school context, are in a lot of meetings and many of us consider meetings to be, at best, a necessary evil. Meetings seem often to have no clear purpose. They meander, they run overtime, agendas aren’t completed (or even acknowledged!), some people dominate discussion while others never get their viewpoints shared. Frustration abounds.
This blog will address all these issues and many more. In fact, if you participate by offering meeting challenges you’d like ideas to address or sharing solutions that have worked for you, then this site will be both enjoyable and effective: the goal for every meeting. Being effective…and…enjoyable. Do you think enjoyable meetings are even possible? I say YES!
Therefore, I am writing about meetings so that more meetings in the world are both effective and enjoyable!
Patrick Lencioni, author of Death By Meeting, recommends adding drama and appreciating conflict in meetings. How might you add drama and energy to your meetings?
He recommends learning from movies which are interactive and engaging:
1. Set a “plot” at the beginning of the meeting. Highlight a competitive threat. Emphasize the danger of making a wrong decision. Appeal to the larger mission. Describe the impact on all stakeholders.
2. Give participants a reason to CARE – about the meeting and its consequences.
Further, Lencioni points out that disagreements are natural and resolving them is what makes meetings productive, engaging, and fun.
Reading this, ask yourself, “What,specifically, can I do to add energy to my meetings?”
You are invited to my free Creative Problem-Solving Webinar on March 3rd hosted by Corporate Education Group. One hour long with plenty of time for questions. However, space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat now by clicking this link:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/195356474
Many people ask, “What do we do after brainstorming?” They know how to generate ideas, but not what to do with them. This webinar will address that gap. You will learn the classic creative problem-solving process flow and then explore how to turn flawed, beginning ideas into possible actions. This is the idea development phase, a rarely talked-about and yet critical means to successful new ideas.
Date: Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Time: 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EST
After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.
System Requirements
PC-based attendees: Windows® 2000, XP Home, XP Pro, 2003 Server, Vista
Macintosh®-based attendees: Mac OS® X 10.4 (Tiger®) or newer
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/195356474
This is a re-post of one of my earliest blog entries because the subject came up again recently. So, once again, here’s my rant on the subject of people being late for meetings!
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Recently, I learned of a company where the norm is for managers to be late to meetings. And to run late in the meeting.
Think about this. People arrange their day to be at a meeting. They prepare FOR the meeting so they can contribute something of value. They come ready to work.
And they wait. And wait. And rearrange those appointments they had planned or those calls that would have helped the company grow. Why? Because someone or several someones are really really busy and can’t make it to the meeting on time. Even when it’s a meeting THEY set up! But you know, they’re really really important.
What does this say to those who came to the meeting ready to work? A lot. Including: you’re NOT really really important. At least, you’re not as really really important as I am. Whatever you planned to do is less important than what I have to do. At the least, what you intended to do is certainly less important than sitting around waiting for me.
What does this say about that manager? He or she is a really really BAD manager of his/her time. And, I would surmise, a bad manager of people, resources, and projects. If the individual cannot manage his or her own time better than this, then you have to wonder what they do all day.
Bottom line? This person is really really unprofessional.
And he or she is insulting everyone else left waiting for them.
Now, there are times that keeping people waiting is justified. Sudden death of a family member. Learning the company is about to be sold. Stuff of that magnitude. But that’s rare. And if it happens, apologize to the people waiting and let them know that they can go back to work while you deal with a crisis. Also let them know that you will reconvene the meeting and give them ample notice.
If not a crisis, then maybe the meeting before this one started late. So there’s a domino effect all day long.
Since major crises are, thankfully, rare, it is more likely that this is the company norm, just “the way things are done here.” Time to change that norm. If you want people to be efficient and productive, then demonstrate that you value their time and your own. Come on time and come prepared.
And…start on time no matter who is there or who isn’t there. Demonstrate your respect for your colleagues.
For those stuck waiting, you have a few options. Start another meeting with those who are present. “Hey, while we’re waiting, let’s figure out how to fix the hold-up with the Excalibur project.” Go back to work, asking someone to call you when Mr. Late shows up. Institute a rule: we wait five minutes and then start. If whoever called the meeting isn’t there 15 minutes after the planned start of the meeting, everyone leave. Don’t be mistreated by the no-shows. Take charge of your time.
Gee, can you tell this is a really really hot button topic for me?! Really really.
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