1. Making Meetings Work Julia King Tamang LERN annual conference, 2006

2. 2 How much do we meet? Mangers spend 11 hours per week in meetings Middle managers say that only 56% of meetings are productive –a phone call or a memo could replace over 25% of the meetings they attend. 7-15% of personnel budgets are spent on meeting time

3. 3 Ask, “Do we need to meet?” Do you need to be face-to-face? Does your thinking depend on the feedback of others? Do you need the creative inputs of group members?

4. 4 When should you meet? You need advice from your group You want to involve your group in problem solving Something needs to be clarified You have concerns to share, or the group does There is a cross-functional problem There’s a problem, and it’s not clear who is responsible

5. 5 When should you not meet? You have sensitive personnel issues. There is not enough time or not enough prep The content really should not be shared You actually have already made up your mind People need to cool down before they talk

6. 6 What kind of meeting do you need? Problem solving or exploration Decision making Planning meeting Reporting meetings Reacting and evaluating Combination meetings

7. 7 The really good agenda Name of the group Time (start and end), date, place Title of the meeting Who called the meeting Meeting type Outcomes Background materials Roles Resource people Meeting method Decision making methods and final decision maker Special notes Order of agenda items, process and time allocated

8. 8 Group member roles Facilitator Recorder Group members Meeting champion or sponsor

9. 9 5 key pieces There must be a common focus on content. There must be a common focus on process. Someone has to maintain open and balanced conversation flow. Someone has to protect members from attack. Each role and responsibility must be agreed upon by group members.

10. 10 The all-powerful group memory Without group memory, you’ll –Cover the same ground, over and over –Miss key topics –Wonder where you are, exactly –Flash on an idea, but loose it –Have to go over things when a new person arrives –Forget what you did when you sit down to write the notes

11. 11 Plan ahead Who needs to be there? What’s the meeting about or for? Send the agenda in advance. Come early and set up the room.

12. 12 At the beginning Start on time Clarify expectations for the meeting Define roles Review and revise the agenda Set clear time limits Review action items from the previous meeting

13. 13 During the meeting Focus on the same problem, at the same time, in the same way

14. 14 At the end of the meeting Establish action items –Who –What –When Review the group memory (flip charts) Set date, time and place for the next meeting Evaluate the meeting Close crisply and positively

15. 15 After the meeting Prepare the group memo or notes Follow up on action items and begin to plan the next meeting

16. 16 Facilitation 101 Clearly define your role Get agreement on the problem & the process Boomerang questions back to the group Compliment the group Don’t talk too much Support the recorder

17. 17 Better problem solving Define the problem clearly. Does this group own this problem? Does the group have the power, expertise and information to solve it? Did the group examine enough alternatives? Was the decision premature? Could the group reach consensus?

18. 18 Good meeting pay-offs Social value Better solutions More investment Training and learning More work done in less time People feel “in the loop”