Running Effective Meetings

After reading this study guide, you should be able to:

• Prepare effectively for any type of meeting
• Write succinct and useful agenda
• Conduct meetings productively
• Write concise minutes of meetings.

Advantages of meetings	Disadvantages of meetings
Likely to develop better solutions than any one individual could do	May opt for first available solution
Provide free interchange of ideas, stimulates and clarifies thinking	May go on too long, lose track of main issue
Group decisions promote more effective coordination of subsequent action plans	May be difficult to reach a decision
Group is likely to take bigger risk than any individual would	May be difficult to pin responsibility to any individual

Most people at all levels of management attend far too many meetings, and far too many meetings are unproductive. Surveys indicate that, in life, the majority of people are most afraid of having to get up and speak in public - I have no evidence, but I am certain a majority of people also hate attending meetings. Why? They waste time, they waste effort, they achieve nothing, they are dominated by the few, they go over the same things time and time again, they never actually reach any decisions .......... feel free to add your own views if they are not found here!

However, meetings can be an effective tool of management, and with the growing emphasis on teamwork, they also become essential. Nevertheless, bear in mind the cost of attending meetings - they are a resource which must be controlled like any other. The following table is based on a 238 day/year, with 8 hours per day - no overheads or loadings; insert the number attending your meeting at each salary range, and calculate the cost of the meeting, depending on its length. Make sure you put the appropriate currency sign before the figures in the last column so the message is not lost!

Salary pa	1 hour	3.5 hours	1 day	1 week	No Attending	Total Cost
15000	7.88	27.57	63	315.13
20000	10.5	36.76	84	420.17
25000	13.13	45.96	105	525.21
30000	15.76	55.15	126.1	630.25
35000	18.38	64.34	147.1	735.29
40000	21.01	73.53	168.1	840.34
50000	26.26	91.91	210.1	1050.42
60000	31.51	110.29	252.1	1260.5
70000	36.76	128.68	294.1	1470.59
80000	42.02	147.06	336.1	1680.67
				Totals	???????	??????

For a more visual effect, you can purchase a Meeting Clock from Metier Solutions [http://www.metiersolutions.com/t$mer.htm]

The face you are looking at measures 175x65cm. The clock is simple to use - you set the number of people attending, estimate the average hourly rate, an dpres the strat button. For everyone to see, it moves along sweetly, showing the time elspsed - and the cost of the time elapsed. In a meeting of 20 people at a low average salary of $15 per hour, you spend [waste] $75 waiting 15 minutes for the last person to arrive! Multiply that by the number of meetings in a year etc etc, and you can see what we mean. As for the cost of the actual meetings themselves ....... !

There is also another meeting clock on the Web at http://users.erols.com/mmcgur/meetingclock.htm

Types of Meetings

• Formal or informal ie,
  • with agenda, rules of procedure, minutes or
  • casual and relaxed - need a structure but nothing written or retained
• Personal
  • With superiors - peers - or staff
• Planning
  • to prepare a plan
  • to evaluate a plan
  • to seek information
• Reporting
  • progress to date of a plan or project
  • recommendations on completion of an investigation
    • accident, new machinery or process
    • proposal to change system or procedures
  • giving information
    • product launch
    • company policy
    • need for downsizing, out sourcing and other jargon!
• Administrative
  • Regular Staff Meetings
    • reports by heads of departments
    • round the table for comments or new input
  • To inform of special event
    • special promotion of a product
    • Christmas party
  • Exchanging information
    • methods analysis or review
    • future directions
    • customer relations
• Problem Solving
  • Identify elements
  • Propose solutions
  • Select course of action

These involve the most interaction and are the most difficult to control

 

Rôles at Meetings

1. Chair

• Prepare for the meeting
• appoint a secretary/minute taker if there is not a regular or appointed
• conduct and control the meeting
  • watch the timing
  • ensure all have an equal opportunity to speak
  • adjudicate as and when necessary
  • effect compromise on occasion
• close each item and
  • ensure action is clear
  • by whom and by when
• check that the minutes are produced accurately and in timely manner

2. Secretary

• ensure agenda and relevant papers are distributed in time,
  • with date,
  • time and
  • place of meeting
• prepare and book the meeting space
• have background papers and information for the chairperson
• carry a copy of
  • the constitution,
  • rules of procedure,
  • previous minutes
• record names of attendees and apologies for absence - check quorum
• take notes of what is said and decided
  • minimum necessary,
    • mixture of mnemonics and full transcript
    • amount of detail depends on nature and purpose of meeting
    • has to be enough to enable accurate minutes
  • essential to have
    • gist of discussions
    • exact words of proposals
    • names of those proposing and seconding
    • names of those responsible for future actions
• write the minutes - preferably as soon as possible

3. Members in General

• People often react to other people - not to their ideas
• Chair must stress that effectiveness = disregard for personal/departmental allegiances
• Self perception - some see themselves as elder statesman, joker, voice or reason

Group Building Rôles
The Initiator	Suggests new/different ideas/approaches
The Opinion Giver	States pertinent beliefs about the discussion or others' suggestions
The Elaborator	Builds on suggestions made by others
Group Maintenance Rôles
The Tension Reliever	Uses humour or calls for a break at appropriate moments
The Compromiser	Willing to yield when necessary for progress
The Clarifier	Relevant egs, offers rationales, probes for meaning, restates problems
The Tester	Raises questions to test if group is ready to come to a decision
The Summariser	Tries to pull discussion together, reviews progress so far
The Harmoniser	Mediates differences of opinion, reconciles points of view
The Encourager	Praises and supports others in their contributions
The Gate Keeper	Keeps communications open, creates opportunities for participation
Group Blocking Rôles
The Aggressor	Deflates status of others, disagrees and criticises
The Blocker	Stubbornly disagrees, cites unrelated material, returns to previous topics
The Withdrawer	Will not participate, private conversations, takes copious personal notes
The Recognition Seeker	Boasts and talks excessively
The Topic Jumper	Continually changes the subject
The Dominator	Tries to take over, asserts authority, manipulates the group
The Special Pleader	Draws attention to own concerns
The Playboy/Girl	Shows off, tells funny stories, nonchalant, cynical
The Self-Confessor	Talks irrelevantly of own feelings and insights
The Devil's Advocate	More devil than advocate!

This table is based on HC Wedgewood's Fewer Camels, More Horses: Where Committees Go Wrong. Personnel, Vol 44, No 4, July-Aug 1967, pp62-87. Quoted in Pearce, Figgens & Golen. Principles of Communication. New York, John Wiley & Sons, 1984, pp383-384.

Stereotypes You May Expect To Find In A Group
The Chatterbox	Talks continually, rarely on the topic, has little to contribute
The Sleeper	Uninterested in the proceedings, some can sleep with eyes open!
The Destroyer	Crushes any and every idea, can always find something wrong
The Rationalist	Makes worthwhile contributions, ideas are well thought out
The Trapper	Waits for opportune moment to show error has been made - likes to trap the Chair
The Know-All	Tries to monopolise, but can have good ideas
The Thinker	Shy and slow to come forward, but is a great asset

Based on Sadler and Tucker. Common Ground. South Melbourne, Macmillan, 1981. p82.

These two tables show a cynical side, but may well be close to the truth. What you are aiming for is to have a group that resembles one of Belbin's teams.

Choosing place and time

If a regular meeting - decided at end of each meeting and confirmed with next agenda.

If ad hoc meeting

secretary or organiser should ensure

• room is suitable for nature of meeting and number of people
• time is sufficient to
  • give enough notice
  • complete business satisfactorily

Secretary/organiser and chair should confirm details are satisfactory, then

confirm with members

Equipment, Materials and Furniture Checklist

• atmosphere conducive to purpose of meeting
• briefing and background papers
  • distributed in time
  • spare copies taken to the meeting
• pens, paper and water
• ventilation and lighting
• minimum noise and disturbances
• refreshments - on arrival, breaks, continuous?
• references
  • rules of procedure,
  • constitution,
  • past minutes,
  • diary and calendar
• visual aids and equipment - test beforehand!
• layout of furniture
  • circular, rectangular, U shape?
  • will depend on purpose, size, formality
  • make sure Chair is obvious to all
  • room for papers [extra staff, stenographers, advisors?]
• Briefing for Chair by secretary/organiser
  • important issues
  • likely/possible courses of action
  • contentious issues
  • likely trouble - issues or people!

Agenda

Collecting items

from previous minutes - check on action taken

call from members

call from relevant non-attendees

check with Chair and other key people

Standard items

recurring items should be in the same place in the order

those providing them should be reminded - secretary to ask for copies to save taking notes

copies to be distributed before or at meeting - no need to then read them out - save time!

Sequence

Will depend on your standard operating procedure [SOP]; if none, try:

• Title
• Date, time, expected length [?], and location
• Purpose, if a special meeting
• Apologies for absence - if on the agenda, may remind some to let you know!
• Minutes of previous meeting
• Action arising
• Correspondence in and out
• Regular items
• New business items
• Any other business
• Date of next meeting

Format

• like a menu - enough info to show what will be done and when
• regular and new business can show
• those who will respond [serves to jog their memories that they had action]
• time likely to be discussed [if meeting is long, eg, over a couple of days]
• enough detail for clarity - avoid ambiguity and vagueness
• aim for one page - plenty of white space
• professional production and dissemination sets the tone for the meeting itself
  • according to your SOP
  • at least three [3] days before
    • time to read and prepare
    • time to catch non-regulars who should be concerned
    • time to catch relevant non-attendees [marked for information only]

Go to Conduct of Meetings

Return to List of Outlines

Go to Outline 29 - Effective Presentations

Go to the Bibliography

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