How To Run - And Not Run - A Meeting
By Jayme Broudy, Contractor’s Business School
Dear Jayme:
I keep having meetings with my people that don’t accomplish anything. I set out with a purpose, but the meetings get off track and nothing gets resolved or decided. I’m back where I started and everybody’s time is wasted. What do I do?
-Roberto
Dear Roberto:
Meetings are investments of a very scarce and expensive resource (the man-hours and knowledge of all the attendees), and they should produce a significant payback like any other investment. Waste the assets and you’re burning $100 bills; use them well and you’ll see big paybacks.
Here are some tips that’ll make your meetings a lot more useful:
• Have a clear reason for the meeting: If you don’t have one, cancel the meeting. Never have a meeting just to have a meeting. It reinforces the idea that meetings are stupid.
• Distribute the agenda in advance, at least a day before the meeting. Give the attendees a chance to add items to the agenda. If you (or anyone else) can’t take the time to put an agenda together, you don’t have the right to call and run the meeting.
• Distribute any reports and materials in advance so attendees can digest them beforehand and make it clear that attendees are to read them before the meeting. Reading them during the meeting is unacceptable: the meeting is to discuss, analyze, and create solutions; not read.
• Include a time schedule, and use clock time, i.e.: “9:00-9:05 overview by Joe, “9:05-9:10: Bob update on new building” etc. If Bob sees the agenda and says that he needs more than 5 minutes, expand his segment but make clear that people are expected to speak their piece in the time allotted. Include an open session for questions.
• Follow the agenda ruthlessly: If it’s not on the agenda, it doesn’t get discussed (They all had a chance to add to the agenda. If they ignored the chance, tough). You can schedule time for open discussion at the end if absolutely needed.
• Establish the rules for your meetings: These should be part of your business’s policies. Start and end on time. One speaker at a time, no side conversations, no cell phones, no interruptions. Stay on topic, respect the schedule. Yes, these are picky. And they’re the reasons why meetings fail.
• Document the proceedings: What was decided, who was assigned to do what by when. What new issues were raised and how are they to be handled. Assign someone to write it all down at every meeting.
• Publish the notes within 24 hours: So everyone is crystal clear on who’s responsible for what, when.
• Tie the follow up to the last meeting: Use the notes from this meeting to establish the agenda for the next. Joe’s a lot more likely to get his assignments from the last meeting done if he has to stand up in front of everyone a present his results.
• You must actively run the meeting. If you don’t, it will take on a life of its own and that, invariably, is a disaster.
Getting meetings right is very big deal. Get organized, do the homework, establish and enforce the rules, and your meetings will be the stuff of legends.
My best to you,
Jayme
Jayme Broudy is the founder and principal of Contractor’s Business School® - a coaching, training and consulting firm specializing in helping contractors produce more profit in less time. Since 1993, Jayme has worked with hundreds of contractors in many specialty areas to build successful stand-alone businesses. Visit www.contractorsbusinessschool.com/assessment to complete a free Business Analysis, or call (800) 527-7545 to get the FREE CD "10 Key Strategies to Build a Business that Works."
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