The Seven Sins of Deadly Meetings Article By: Eric Matson Presented By: Marvin Okorafor Date: October 26, 2006

Meetings: Part of Business Life Important vehicle for human communication. Help perpetuate the culture of the organization Number of meetings rising despite technology “Bad meetings make bad companies.”

Sin #1 Sin #1: People don’t take meetings seriously They arrive late, leave early, and don’t pay attention. Solution: Adopt mind-set that meetings are real work Avoid punishments for bad practices Make meetings uptime rather than downtimes “Most people simply don’t view going to meetings as doing work. You have to make your meetings uptime rather than downtime.” – William Daniels, American Consulting & Training

Sin #2 Sin #2: Excessively long meetings Costs companies large amounts of money when people waste time Solution: Track costs of meetings and utilize technology Software allows companies to monitor cost of meetings Meetingware increases productivity “Bad meetings lead to even more meetings, and over time the cost become awe-inspiring.” – Bernard DeKoven, Institute for Better Meetings

Sin #3 Sin #3: People wander off topic Participants spend more time digressing than discussing Solution: Get serious about agendas Ignore distractions Save indirectly related topics for later dates Specify meeting’s decision-making style “If you don’t have structured agendas, and people aren’t sure of the decision path, they’ll bring up side issues that are related but not directly relevant to solving the problem.” – Michael Fors, Intel

Sin #4 Sin #4: People don’t convert decisions into action Nothing happens once meetings ends People leave meetings with different views and conclusions Solutions: Convert from “meeting” to “doing” Focus on creation documents that lead to action Use outlining programs “You’re not just having a meeting, you’re creating a document…..Comments, questions, criticisms, and insights should enhance the quality of the document.” – Michael Schrage, Author of No More Teams!

Sin #5 Sin #5: People don’t tell the truth Plenty of conversation but no candor People don’t speak their minds Solutions: Embrace anonymity Use technology to enable people to express opinions anonymously Be sure to give credit where it is due “Even with people who work together all the time, anonymity changes the social protocols. People say things differently." – Jay Numaker, Ventana Corporation

Sin #6 Sin #6: Meetings missing information so decisions are postponed Most meeting rooms are sterile and uninviting Meeting rooms are usually out of information flow Solution: Get data, not just furniture, into meting rooms Allow space to store materials Meetings now build models, fill charts, create artifacts “People are constantly hauling materials to and from meeting rooms. It’s much easier to just store things for later meetings.”- Jon Ryburg, Meeting Ergonomist

Sin #7 Sin #7: Meetings never get better People make the same mistakes Solutions: Monitor what works Hold people accountable Commit to improving meetings “Good meetings aren't just about work……It's more than collaboration, it's 'coliberation' -- people freeing each other up to think more creatively." – Bernard DeKoven

Any Questions?