1. Leading Effective Meetings
By: Kimara Ellefson

2. A committee is a body that keeps minutes and wastes hours
Meetings often contain at least one moron that inevitably gets his turn to waste everyone’s time with nonsense.
A committee is a body that keeps minutes and wastes hours
Meetings procreate. One meeting leads to another meeting leads to another…
Fried, Jason, and David H. Hansson. "REWORK: The New Business Book from 37signals." 37signals: Web-based Collaboration Apps for Small Business. 37signals, 6 Feb Web. 14 Feb <

3. Fact:
Research shows that the average individual in our society today will sit through 9,000 hours of meetings in their lifetime! That is over 365 days spent in meetings – not to mention the thousands and sometimes millions of dollars spent on meetings.

4. About Me 13 Years at MCW Administrative role
Spent roughly1,820 hours in meetings over the last year…which means in the 13 years at MCW spent 23,660 hours in meetings
So much time in meetings…block off two hours every day just to NOT be in meetings
Truly believe in the power of meetings...good and bad.

5. Do you dread going to meetings?
Take a moment to recall your last team meeting:
What does it look and feel like?
How well does your team function?
Who always talks and who never talks?
How does the group make decisions?
Are team members accountable for their contributions to the team?
Works Cited: Pigeon, Ed.D, Yvette, and Omar Khan, MD. "Leadership Lesson - Tools for Effective Team Meetings." AAMC. AAMC, 6 Feb Web. 13 Feb <

6. Problem with meetings Boring Ineffective/Time Wasting
Lack conflict
Ineffective/Time Wasting
Lack appropriate context or structure
Lack of focus
Forget what is at stake
If there isn’t much at stake, don’t meet!
essential for engagement
Try to take care of everything in one meeting

7. Five Concepts for Leading Effective Meetings
1. Set the stage-Why do I care/What is at stake?
2. Mine for conflict-actively engage all viewpoints
3. Don’t wait for consensus-get all ideas out-then LEAD
4. Drive to Conclusion
5. Everyone supports/takes action/is accountable

8. Planning and Preparing your Meeting
“Perhaps the most important time you will spend in a meeting is the time you spend before the meeting even starts…”

9. Setting the Stage Determine the Purpose
To develop your purpose for the meeting ask yourself the following questions:
What is at stake?
Why am I holding the meeting?
What do I want to achieve at the meeting?
What do I want to achieve after the meeting?
Tip: Before you begin to move forward with planning your meeting – decide whether or not a meeting is the best way to accomplish your meeting purpose.

10. Prepare a Meeting Plan
Determining a meeting type will help simplify your planning process
Meet to solve a problem
Make decisions
Gather to share information
Hear a presentation
Brainstorm ideas

11. Information from Patrick Lencioni’s Book, Death by Meeting
The Four meetings
Meeting Type
Time Required
Purpose and Format
Keys to Success
Daily Check-in
5 minutes
Share daily schedules and activities
Don’t sit down
Keep it administrative
Don’t cancel even when some people cannot be there
Weekly Tactical
45-90 minutes
Review weekly activities and metrics, and resolve tactical obstacles and issues
Don’t set agenda until after initial reporting
Postpone strategic discussions
Monthly Strategic
2-4 hours
Discuss, analyze, brainstorm, and decide upon critical issues affecting long-term success
Limit to one or two topics
Prepare and do research
Engage in good conflict
Quarterly Off-site Review
1-2 days
Review strategy, industry trends, competitive landscape, key personnel, & team development
Get out of office
Focus on work; limit social activities
Don’t over structure or overburden the schedule
Information from Patrick Lencioni’s Book, Death by Meeting

12. Define: Content & Process
Refers to how the meeting proceeds, how the group works together to accomplish task(s), and to build and maintain cohesiveness
CONTENT
Refers to what is talked about at the meeting, the agenda topics, decisions, information, opinions, etc.

13. Identify Meeting participants
To determine who should attend follow these guidelines:
Invite those with relevant information or expertise
Invite those who will make the final decision
Invite people who are affected by or will carry out a decision
Consider inviting anyone who might significantly prevent or interfere with the implementation of a decision
Invite individuals with higher functional responsibility
Tip: Invite as few people as possible while still being inclusive. This varies based on the purpose and intent of the meeting.

14. Identify group roles Leader Timekeeper Note Taker Chart Person
Responsible for managing the meeting
Timekeeper
Keeps time and lets participants know
when it is time to move to the next agenda item
Note Taker
Keeps written record of proceedings
Chart Person
Writes important points of discussion and lists of ideas.
Navigator
Keep group on track

15. Prepare the Agenda Agenda: Very simply “Things to be done”
Sequence: Arrange your agenda with the most important items first and least important last in case time runs out
Timing: Assign realistic times to each item, this will determine how long the meeting will last and will enable you to figure out if you have too much on the agenda

16. Effective Agendas Include:
Meeting Purpose-What is at stake?
Meeting Logistics (Date, Time, Roles, Participants)
Agenda Items
Times
Assignments (Report out, etc. )
“Every minute you avoid spending in a meeting is a minute you can get real work done instead”

17. Communicating to Participants Includes:
What is at stake?
Who? When? Where?
Logistics
Meeting Agenda
Any special instructions regarding participant preparation

18. Tip: Leaders should not be the only person coming to the meeting prepared. Therefore, providing information ahead of time will increase the chances of better productivity during your meeting.

19. Summary: Setting the Stage
Create a statement of Purpose/Outcomes
Ask yourself “What do I want the purpose of this meeting to be and what are the potential outcomes?
Prepare a Meeting Plan
Determine Meeting Type
Define Content & Process
Identify Meeting Participants/Group Roles
Determine Meeting Logistics
Prepare the Agenda
Communicate with Participants
All these should take place before meeting starts!

20. Conducting Meetings

21. Lead, Lead, Lead
When you lead a meeting, you are a leader and all leadership principles apply:
Provide structure
Encourage participation
Be decisive
Hold participants accountable

22. Start Fast
Starting on Time – Communicate the seriousness of starting on time. Wasting people’s time equals less time working on other projects
Stay Focused – Do not allow for other work to be done
Tip: Arrange the meeting room that supports dialogue and better communication.
Request that cell phones, laptops, iPads not be used during the meetings, i.e. for checking s

23. First meeting: Utilize Introductory Activities
Set aside 5-15 minutes for introductory items to help get the meeting started.
Welcome & Introductions
Meeting Purpose
Process
Ground Rules
Meeting Agenda
“Parking Lot”

24. It’s your job to encourage everyone’s full participation
Mine for Conflict
Goals:
Keep the Meeting Focused
Encourage Full Participation
Attend to the Pace
Handle Counterproductive Behavior
It’s your job to encourage everyone’s full participation

25. Ways to mine for conflict
Directly Solicit Input from Everyone
Ask Open-ended Questions
Actively Listen to Others, Be Attentive to Body Language
Reinforce and Acknowledge Positive Participation
Ask for Concrete Examples
Be Supportive
Tip: Always maintain control. Don’t forget you are the Leader. Don’t allow another participant to take that role from you.

26. Handle counterproductive behaviors
Six Behaviors That May Cause Problems:
Overly Talkative
Definitely Wrong
Highly Argumentative
Obstinate
Side Conversations
Won’t Talk

27. Bored: around interest by asking their opinion
Tips on how to handle
Overly Talkative
When they pause for a breath take that time to thank them for input, refocus attention on subject, and move on.
Definitely Wrong
Never embarrass the individual. Say you may not have heard them correctly and ask them to rephrase the comment.
Highly Argumentative
Stay calm! Try to find merit in point and then move on. May also seek group’s opinion. If necessary ask to speak privately.
Obstinate
Throw out issues/ideas for open group discussion. Ask group if they “agree or disagree”.
Side Conversation
Casually walk to and stand beside the side conversation. Ask one of the parties an easy question or restate your last point and ask for their opinion. Pause and wait for them to notice.
Won’t Talk
Bored: around interest by asking their opinion
Uninvolved: Engage person seated next to them, then gradually shift focus to draw them in
Shy or Insecure: Support with sincere compliment after first time opening up

28. Drive to Conclusion
Often we walk away from a meeting feeling that nothing is accomplished. Follow these steps below to help create closure to the meeting:
Summarize what has been accomplished
Compare the accomplishments with the desired outcomes
Identify unfinished agenda items and determine ways to address them

29. Get buy-in and Accountability
Complete an action plan – who will do what and when?
Summarize Action Items
Delegate follow up responsibilities

30. Distributing Minutes
Minutes should be handed out to everyone attending the meeting
Give direction to participants to review the minutes and action items
If these are ongoing meetings, the minutes become the start of the next agenda

31. Summary Remember to: Be a LEADer Start Fast Mine for Conflict
Drive to Conclusion
Hold everyone accountable

32. Effective Meetings Produce Results
“The clock represents our commitments, appointments, schedules, goals and activities – what we do with and how we manage our time. The compass represents our vision, values, principles, mission, conscience, direction – what we feel is important and how we lead our lives. The struggle comes when we sense a gap between the clock and the compass – when what we do doesn’t contribute to what is most important in our lives.” – Stephen Covey

33. Meeting resources
Best-selling author Patrick Lencioni provides readers with another powerful and thought-provoking book, this one centered around a cure for the most painful yet underestimated problem of modern business: bad meetings. And what he suggests is both simple and revolutionary.
Information and research gathered for this presentation was from Patrick Lencioni’s book, “Death by Meeting”