Guide to a Productive Meeting

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Guide to a Productive Meeting
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Getting Organized

• If you're the leader, you should never try to
  "wing it" in a meeting. Even a freewheeling
• brainstorming session requires some advance
  planning.  So before your meeting, answer
• these questions
• Do we really need a meeting?  
• Who needs to be there? 
• What should be the outcome? 
• What type of meeting is it? 
•  
• What's the "road map"? 
• How should people prepare? 
•  

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Using Time Wisely

• Here's how to make the most productive use of
• your meeting time
• Distribute the agenda and important information
  before the meeting.
• Start on time.  Waiting for stragglers punishes
  those who got there on schedule.
• Discuss the most important items first.  Resist
  the temptation to get quick items out of the
  way.

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Using Time Wisely cont.

• Turn off cell phones and close laptops.
• Follow the agenda, but deviate from it if
  important issues arise.
• Keep the discussion focused on one topic at a
  time.
• Keep moving the discussion towards the goal.

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Using Time Wisely cont.

• Create a place sometimes called a Parking Lot
  to list topics for later discussion.
• For long meetings, plan scheduled breaks to keep
  people from wandering in and out.
• Arrange a later time to discuss issues that
  involve only a few members.
• Specify a realistic ending time and stick to it. 
  

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Moving From Discussion to Action

• If your meeting is to accomplish anything,
  everyone must
• understand what happens next.  This is especially
  critical in
• decision-making meetings.  Here's how to make
  something
• happen
• Before adjourning, summarize what occurred during
  the meeting.  Review all decisions that were
  made.
• Create a Next Steps list of actions to be taken
  as a result of the meeting.
• Assign responsibility for each action item.

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Moving From Discussion to Action cont.

• Agree on schedules and deadlines where
  appropriate.
• Set a specific time to assess progress on these
  action steps.
• If there will be a follow-up meeting, describe
  what must be done before the group meets again.
•  

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Seven Signs that Your Team Will Fail

• When you ask people to describe the experience
• Of working in teams, they often use words like
• - Frustrating
• - Disappointing
• - Waste of Time

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Seven Signs that Your Team Will Fail cont.

• How can you tell whether a team will produce
  outstanding results or flame
• out completely? 
• Too Many Superstars  one that is very
  prominent or is a prime attraction a diplomatic
  superstar
• Fuzzy Goals - is the goal that is so vague as to
  be, in practice, impossible to achieve for
  example, peace on earth. Even theoretically
  achievable, they lack sufficient definition to
  focus the creative activity.

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Seven Signs that Your Team Will Fail cont.

• Poorly Defined Roles - Groups operate more
  effectively when members are assigned tasks that
  they can do well. Unclear roles and poorly
  defined areas of responsibility ultimately lead
  to group conflict and dissatisfaction of
  individuals.
• Cliques and Factions - a narrow exclusive
  circle or group of persons especially one held
  together by common interests, views, or purposes,
  a party or group that is often contentious or
  self-seeking

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seven Signs that Your Team Will Fail cont.

• Mean-Spirited Conflicts - Having or characterized
  by a malicious or petty spirit characterized by
  or displaying a propensity to be mean selfish,
  malicious, etc.
• Impossible Tasks - It is used for tasks that are
  of extreme difficulty, that one may have not
  completed.
• Lack of Laughter - There are many things in
  life that we have no control over and cant
  change. As long as we have a sense of humor, we
  can do something. Humor has the power to turn
  almost any situation around.

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 WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF YOUR MEETING
 Information-Sharing  Decision-Making  Idea-Generating
  Goal For participants to provide useful information to one another about their work.  The information is not being used to make a decision.   Goal To make a decision about a problem or issue.  The final decision may be a group consensus or may be made by the leader.   Goal To come up with innovative and creative approaches to a situation.
  Suggestions  Allow enough time for everyone to participate. Dont let talkative members use up too much time. Stay focused on information relevant to the whole group. Schedule one-on-one meetings to pursue individual issues or concerns. Encourage people to ask questions. Identify opportunities for people to help each other.   Suggestions Be sure everyone understands the decision to be made. Be sure everyone understands how the decision will be made. Structure the discussion to make the best use of time. Encourage everyone to share information and opinions. Listen to different view points. Identify areas of agreement and disagreement. Clearly communicate the final decision. Before adjourning, make next step assignments.   Suggestions Allow plenty of time.  Prevent interruptions.  Turn off cell phones Dont bring up unrelated work issues. Encourage people to share all ideas. Do not criticize or judge ideas when they are shared. Reinforce out-of-the-box thinking. Provide a structure for narrowing down alternatives. At the end of the meeting, agree on what happens next. Encourage people to relax, laugh, joke, have fun!  

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QUESTIONS