Factors effecting how best to run meetings

Factors effecting how best to run meetings

Your choice of structure and style in running an effective meeting is hugely dependent on several factors: The situation circumstances, mood, atmosphere, background, etc.

The organisational context the implications and needs of the business or project or organization. The team, or the meeting delegates the needs and interests of those attending. You yourself your own role, confidence, experience, your personal aims, etc.

Your position and relationship with the team and of course the aims of the meeting.

There will always be more than one aim, because aside from the obvious reason(s) for the meeting, all meetings bring with them the need and opportunity to care for and/or to develop people, as individuals and/or as a team.

When you run a meeting you are making demands on people's time and attention. When you run meeting you have an authority to do so, which you must use wisely.

This applies also if the people at the meeting are not your direct reports, and even if they are not a part of your organization. Whatever the apparent reason for the meeting, you have a responsibility to manage the meeting so that it is a positive and helpful experience for all who attend. Having this aim, alongside the specific meeting objective(s), will help you develop an ability and reputation for running effective meetings that people are happy to attend. Having a good understanding of other areas of management, including many featured on this website, will improve your overall ability to run meetings, for example:

Delegation

Goal planning

Project management

The Tuckman model of team maturity and development

The Tannenbaum and Schmidt model of team development personality and styles

facilitative decision-making (Sharon Drew Morge’s methodology - it's not just for selling)

Ethical and social responsibility considerations (ethical reference points are essential)

Meetings - basic rules here is a solid basic structure for most types of meetings. This assumes you have considered properly and decided that the meeting is necessary, and also that you have decided (via consultation with those affected if necessary or helpful) what sort of meeting to hold.

1.plan - use the agenda as a planning tool2.circulate the meeting agenda in advance3.run the meeting - keep control, agree outcomes, actions and responsibilities, take notes4.write and circulate notes - especially actions and accountabilities 5.follow up agreed actions and responsibilities Meetings come in all shapes and sizes, and for lots of purposes.

Meeting purposes include:

Giving information

Training

Discussion (leading to an objective)

Generating ideas

Planning

Workshops

Consulting and getting feedback

Finding solutions/solving problems

Crisis management

Performance reporting/assessment

Setting targets and objectives

Setting tasks and delegating

Making decisions

Conveying /clarifying policy issues

Team building

Motivating

Special subjects - guest speakers

Inter-departmental - process improvement

The acronym POSTAD TV helps to remember how to plan effective meetings, and particularly how to construct the meeting agenda, and then notify the meeting delegates:

POSTAD TV: Priorities, Outcomes, Sequence, Timings, Agenda, Date, Time, Venue.

Meeting priorities

What is the meeting's purpose, or purposes? Always have a clear purpose; otherwise don't have a meeting. Decide the issues for inclusion in the meeting and their relative priority: importance and urgency - they are quite different and need treating in different ways. Important matters do not necessarily need to be resolved quickly. Urgent matters generally do not warrant a lot of discussion. Matters that are both urgent and important are clearly serious priorities that need careful planning and management.

You can avoid the pressure for 'Any Other Business' at the end of the meeting if you circulate a draft agenda in advance of the meeting, and ask for any other items for consideration. ('Any Other Business' often creates a free-for-all session that wastes time, and gives rise to new tricky expectations, which if not managed properly then closes the meeting on a negative note.)

 Meeting outcomes

Decide the type of outcome (i.e., what is the purpose) for each issue, and put this on the agenda alongside the item heading. This is important as people need to know what is expected of them, and each item will be more productive with a clear aim at the outset. Typical types of outcomes are:

Decision

Discussion

Information

Planning (e.g. workshop session)

Generating ideas

Getting feedback

Finding solutions

Agreeing (targets, budgets, aims, etc)

Policy statement

Team-building/motivation

Guest speaker - information, initiatives, etc.

 Meeting sequence

Put the less important issues at the top of the agenda, not the bottom. If you put them on the bottom you may never get to them because you'll tend to spend all the time on the big issues. Ensure any urgent issues are placed up the agenda. Non-urgent items place down the agenda - if you are going to miss any you can more easily afford to miss these. Try to achieve a varied mix through the running order - if possible avoid putting heavy controversial items together - vary the agenda to create changes in pace and intensity.

Be aware of the tendency for people to be at their most sensitive at the beginning of meetings, especially if there are attendees who are keen to stamp their presence on proceedings. For this reason it can be helpful to schedule a particularly controversial issue later in the sequence, which gives people a chance to settle down and relax first, and maybe get some of the sparring out of their systems over less significant items.

Also be mindful of the lull that generally affects people after lunch, so try to avoid scheduling the most boring item of the agenda at this time; instead after lunch get people participating and involved, whether speaking, presenting, debating or doing other active things.

Meeting timings (of agenda items)

Consider the time required for the various items rather than habitually or arbitrarily decide the length of the meeting. Allocate a realistic time slot for each item. Keep the timings realistic - usually things take longer than you think. Long meetings involving travel for delegates require pre-meeting refreshments 30 minutes prior to the actual meeting start time. Put plenty of breaks into long meetings. Unless people are participating and fully involved, their concentration begins to drop after just 45 minutes. Breaks don't all need to be 20 minutes for coffee and cigarettes. Five minutes every 45-60 minutes for a quick breath of fresh air and leg-stretch will help keep people attentive.

Unless you have a specific reason for arranging one, avoid formal sit-down restaurant lunches - they'll add at least 30 minutes unnecessarily to the lunch break, and the whole thing makes people drowsy. Working lunches are great, but make sure you give people 10-15 minutes to get some fresh air and move about outside the meeting room. If the venue is only able to provide lunch in the restaurant, arrange a buffet, or if a sit-down meal is unavoidable save some time by the giving delegates' menu choices to the restaurant earlier in the day.

It's not essential, but it is usually helpful, to put precise (planned) times for each item on the agenda. What is essential however is for you to have thought about and planned the timings so you can run the sessions according to a schedule. In other words, if the delegates don't have precise timings on their agendas - make sure you have them on yours. This is one of the biggest responsibilities of the person running the meeting, and is a common failing, so plan and manage this aspect firmly. People will generally expect you to control the timekeeping, and will usually respect a decision to close a discussion for the purpose of good timekeeping, even if the discussion is still in full flow.

 Meeting attendees

It's often obvious who should attend; but sometimes it isn't. Consider inviting representatives from other departments to your own department meetings - if relationships are not great they will often appreciate being asked, and it will help their understanding of your issues, and your understanding of theirs. Having outside guests from internal and external suppliers helps build relationships and strengthen the chain of supply, and they can often also shed new light on difficult issues too. Use your discretion though - certain sensitive issues should obviously not be aired with 'outsiders' present.

Avoid and resist senior managers and directors attending your meetings unless you can be sure that their presence will be positive, and certainly not intimidating. Senior people are often quick to criticize and pressurize without knowing the facts, which can damage team relationships, morale, motivation and trust. If you must have the boss at your meeting, try to limit their involvement to lunch only, or presenting the awards at the end of the meeting. In any event, tell your boss what you are trying to achieve at the meeting and how - this gives you more chance in controlling possible interference.

 Meeting date

Ensure the date you choose causes minimum disruption for all concerned. It's increasingly difficult to gather people for meetings, particularly from different departments or organizations. So take care when finding the best date - it's a very important part of the process, particularly if senior people are involved. For meetings that repeat on a regular basis the easiest way to set dates is to agree them in advance at the first meeting when everyone can commit there and then. Try to schedule a year's worth of meetings if possible, then you can circulate and publish the dates, which helps greatly to ensure people keep to them and that no other priorities encroach. Pre-planning meeting dates is one of the keys to achieving control and well-organized meetings. Conversely, leaving it late to agree dates for meetings will almost certainly inconvenience people, which is a major source of upset. Generally try to consult to get agreement of best meeting dates for everyone, but ultimately you will often need to be firm. Use the 'inertia method', i.e., suggest a date and invite alternative suggestions, rather than initially asking for suggestions, which rarely achieves a quick agreement.

Meeting time

Times to start and finish depend on the type and duration of the meeting and the attendees' availability, but generally try to start early, or finish at the end of the working day. Two-hour meetings in the middle of the day waste a lot of time in travel. Breakfast meetings are a good idea in certain cultures, but can be too demanding in more relaxed environments. If attendees have long distances to travel (i.e., more than a couple of hours, consider overnight accommodation on the night before. If the majority have to stay overnight it's often worth getting the remainder to do so as well because the team building benefits from evening socializing are considerable, and well worth the cost of a hotel room. Overnight accommodation the night before also allows for a much earlier start. By the same token, consider people's travelling times after the meeting, and don't be unreasonable - again offer overnight accommodation if warranted - it will allow a later finish, and generally keep people happier. As with other aspects of the meeting arrangements, if in doubt always ask people what they prefer. Why guess when you can find out what people actually want, especially if the team is mature and prefers to be consulted anyway.

Meeting venue

Many meetings are relatively informal, held in meeting rooms 'on-site' and do not warrant extensive planning of the venue as such. On the other hand, big important meetings held off-site at unfamiliar venues very definitely require a lot of careful planning of the venue layout and facilities. Plan the venue according to the situation - leave nothing to chance.

Venue choice is critical for certain sensitive meetings, but far less so for routine, in-house gatherings. Whatever, there are certain preparations that are essential, and never leave it all to the hotel conference organizer or your own facilities department unless you trust them implicitly. Other people will do their best but they're not you, and they can't know exactly what you want. You must ensure the room is right - mainly, that it is big enough with all relevant equipment and services. It's too late to start hunting for a 20ft power extension lead five minutes before the meeting starts.

Other aspects that you need to check or even set up personally are:

Table and seating layout

Top-table (if relevant) position

Tables for demonstration items, paperwork, hand-outs, etc

Electricity power points and extensions

Heating and lighting controls

Projection and flip chart equipment positioning and correct operation

Whereabouts of toilets and emergency exits - fire drill

Confirm reception and catering arrangements

Back-up equipment contingency

All of the above can and will go wrong unless you check and confirm - when you book the venue and then again a few days before the meeting.

For a big important meeting, you should also arrive an hour early to check everything is as you want it. Some meetings are difficult enough without having to deal with domestic or logistics emergencies; and remember if anything goes wrong it reflects on you - it's your credibility, reputation and control that's at stake.

Positioning of seating and tables is important, and for certain types of meetings it's crucial. Ensure the layout is appropriate for the occasion:

Formal presentations to large groups - theatre-style, the audience in rows, preferably with tables, is facing the chairman.

Medium-sized participative meetings - horse-shoe (U) table layout with the open part of the U facing the chairman's table, or delegates' tables arranged 'cabaret' style.

Small meetings for debate and discussion - board-room style - one rectangular table with chairman at one end.

Relaxed team meetings for planning and creative sessions - lounge style, with easy chairs and coffee tables.

Your own positioning in relation to the group is important. If you are confident and comfortable and your authority is in no doubt you should sit close to the others, and can even sit among people. If you expect challenge or need to control the group strongly set yourself further away and clearly central, behind a top-table at the head of things.

Ensure everyone can see screens and flip charts properly - actually sit in the chairs to check - you'll be surprised how poor the view is from certain positions.

Set up of projectors and screens are important - strive for the perfect rectangular image, as this gives a professional, controlled impression as soon as you start. Experiment with the adjustment of projector and screen until it's how you want it. If you are using LCD projector and overhead projector (a rare beast these days) you may need two screens. A plain white wall is often better than a poor screen.

People from the western world read from left to right, so if you want to present anything in order using different media, set it up so that people can follow it naturally from left to right. For instance show introductory bullet points (say on a flip chart on the left - as the audience sees it) and the detail for each point (say on projector and screen on the right).

Position screens and flip chart where they can be used comfortably without obscuring the view. Ensure the speaker/chairman's position is to the side of the screen, not in front of it obscuring the view. Ensure any extension leads and wiring is taped to the floor or otherwise safely covered and protected. Supply additional flip chart easels and paper, or write-on acetates and pens, for syndicate work if applicable. You can also ask people to bring laptops for exercises and presentation to the group assuming you have LCD projector is available and compatible. In venues that have not been purpose-built for modern presentations, sometimes the lighting is problematical. If there are strong fluorescent lights above the screen that cannot be switched off independently, it is sometimes possible for them to be temporarily disconnected (by removing the starter, which is a small plastic cylinder plugged into the side of the tube holder). In older buildings it sometimes possible to temporarily remove offending light-bulbs if they are spoiling the visual display, but always enlist the help of one of the venue's staff rather than resorting to DIY. Finally, look after the venue's staff - you need them on your side. Most business users treat hotel and conference staff disdainfully - show them some respect and appreciation and they will be more than helpful.

  

Meeting planner checklist

There's a lot to remember, so, particularly for big important meetings and training sessions, use a meetings checklist to make sure you plan properly and don't miss anything:

Meetings Checklist      

Done comments date/ref

Agenda      

Priorities      

Outcomes      

Sequence      

Timings      

Attendees      

Date      

Time      

Venue      

Variety      

Notification      

Notes of last meeting      

Directions/map      

Materials (as required by agenda items)      

Reference material for ad-hoc queries      

Results and performance data      

Equipment (make separate check-list)      

Electrical Power (if applicable)      

Domestics      

Catering arrangements      

Note-paper, pens, name-plates      

Refreshments      

Guest care/instructions      

Meeting agenda

Produce the meeting agenda. This is the tool with which you control the meeting. Include all the relevant information and circulate it in advance. If you want to avoid having the ubiquitous and time-wasting 'Any Other Business' on your agenda, circulate the agenda well in advance and ask for additional items to be submitted for consideration.

Formal agendas for board meetings and committees will normally have an established fixed format, which applies for every meeting. This type of formal agenda normally begins with:

1. Apologies for absence

2. Approval of previous meeting's minutes (notes)

3. Matters arising (from last meeting) and then the main agenda, finishing with 'any other business'.

For more common, informal meetings (departmental, sales teams, projects, ad-hoc issues, etc), try to avoid the formality and concentrate on practicality. For each item, explain the purpose, and if a decision is required, say so. If it's a creative item, say so. If it's for information, say so. Put timings, or time-per-item, or both (having both is helpful for you as the chairman). If you have guest speakers or presenters for items, name them. Plan coffee breaks and a lunch break if relevant, and ensure the caterers are informed. Aside from these formal breaks you should allow natural 'comfort' breaks every 45-60 minutes, or people lose concentration and the meeting becomes less productive.

Running the meeting

The key to success is keeping control. You do this by sticking to the agenda, managing the relationships and personalities, and concentrating on outcomes. Meetings must have a purpose. Every item must have a purpose. Remind yourself and the group of the required outcomes and steer the proceedings towards making progress, not hot air. Politely suppress the over-zealous, and encourage the nervous. Take notes as you go, recording the salient points and the agreed actions, with names, measurable outcomes and deadlines. Do not record everything word-for-word, and if you find yourself taking over the chairmanship of a particularly stuffy group which produces reams of notes and very little else, then change things. Concentrate on achieving the outcomes you set the meeting when you drew up the agenda. Avoid racing away with decisions if your aim was simply discussion and involving people. Avoid hours of discussion if you simply need a decision. Avoid debate if you simply need to convey a policy issue. Policy is policy and that is that. Defer new issues to another time. Practice and use the phrase 'You may have a point, but it's not for this meeting - we'll discuss it another time.' (And then remember to do it.)

If you don't know the answers say so - be honest - don't waffle - say that you'll get back to everyone with the answer, or append it to the meeting notes.

If someone persistently moans on about a specific issue that is not on the agenda, quickly translate it into a simple exploratory or investigative project, and bounce it back to them, with a deadline to report back their findings and recommendations to you. Use the rules on delegation to help you manage people and tasks and outcomes through meetings.

Always look at how people are behaving in meetings - look for signs of tiredness, exasperation, and confusion, and take necessary action. As a general rule, don't deviate from the agenda, but if things get very heavy, and the next item is very heavy too, swap it around for something participative coming later on the agenda - a syndicate exercise, or a team game, a quiz, etc.

 Meetings notes or meetings minutes

Who takes the meeting notes or minutes, keeps command (minutes is a more traditional term, and today describes more formal meetings notes). You must take the notes yourself, unless the meeting format dictates a formal secretary, in which case ensure the secretary is on your side. Normally you'll be able to take the notes. They are your instrument of control, so don't shirk it or give them to someone else as the 'short straw'.

If you are seen to take the notes, two things happen:

People respect you for not forcing them to do it

People see that you are recording agreed actions, so there's no escaping them

Meeting notes are essential for managing meeting actions and outcomes. They also cement agreements and clarify confusions. They also prevent old chestnuts reappearing. A meeting without notes is mostly pointless. Actions go unrecorded and therefore forgotten. Attendees feel that the meeting was largely pointless because there's no published record.

After the meeting, type the notes (it's usually quicker for you to do it), and circulate them straight away, copy to all attendees, including date of next meeting if applicable, and copy to anyone else who should see the notes. The notes should be brief or people won't read them, but they must still be precise and clear. Include relevant facts, figures, accountabilities, actions and timescales. Any agreed actions must be clearly described, with person or persons named responsible, with a deadline. See again rules of delegation. Use the acronym SMART for any agreed action (Specific, Measurable, Agreed, Realistic, and Time bound). See more acronyms for meetings and training sessions on the acronyms page, there are lots of useful tips there.

The final crucial element is following up the agreed actions (your own included). If you run a great meeting, issue great notes, and then fail to ensure the actions are completed, all is lost, not least your credibility. You must follow up agreed actions and hold people to them. If you don't they will very soon learn that they can ignore these agreements every time - negative conditioning - it's the death of managing teams and results. By following up agreed actions, at future meetings particularly, (when there is an eager audience waiting to see who's delivered and who hasn't), you will positively condition your people to respond and perform, and you will make meetings work for you and your team.

See also the brainstorming meeting techniques.

Meeting notes structure and template

Here is a simple structure for formal meeting notes involving a group of people within an organization:

Heading: for example - Notes of Management Meeting (if a one-off meeting to consider a specific issue then include purpose in the heading as appropriate)

Date and Time:

Venue:

Present:

Apologies for absence:

In attendance: (if appropriate - guests not normally present at regular meetings, for instance speakers or non-board-members at board meetings)

Followed by numbered agenda items, typically:

1. Approval of previous meeting notes/minutes:

2. Matters arising: (items arising from meeting or continued from previous meeting which would not be covered by normal agenda items)

And then other items as per agenda, for example (these are some of the many possible typical reports and meeting items discussed within a business or board meeting; other types of meetings would have different item headings):

3. Finance/financial performance

4. Sales

5. Marketing and Business Development

6. Operations or Divisional Activities

7. Manufacturing

8. Distribution

9. Environmental

10. Quality Assurance, etc

11. Human Resources

12. Projects

13. Communications and Team Briefing Core Brief

14. Any other business (AOB - issues not covered under other agenda items)

15. Date of next meeting

Time meeting finished (normally for formal meetings only)

Signed and dated as a true record (signed by the chair-person - normally for formal meetings only)

Writer's initials, file reference and date (useful on all types of meeting notes)

Importantly, all actions agreed in the meeting need to be allocated to persons present at the meeting. It is not normally appropriate or good practice to allocate an action to someone who is not present at the meeting. Actions that are agreed but not allocated to anyone will rarely be implemented. Responsibility for actions can be identified with a person's name or initials as appropriate. Action points and persons responsible can be highlighted or detailed in a right-margin column if helpful. These days verbatim minutes (precise word-for-word records) are only used in the most formal situations. Modern meeting notes should ideally concentrate on actions and agreements.

Reports should if possible be circulated in advance of meetings giving delegates adequate time to read and formulate reactions and answers to any queries raised. It is not good practice to table a report at a meeting if opportunity exists to circulate the report beforehand. Reports can be appended to the meeting notes or minutes to which they relate.

  

Meeting notes template

Heading: 

Date and Time:

Venue:

Present:

Apologies for absence:

In attendance: Notes, agreements and actions (change item headings as applicable) person responsible for each action agreed

1. Approval of previous meeting notes/minutes:

2. Matters arising:

3. Finance/financial performance

4. Operations or Divisional Activities

5. Environmental

6. Quality Assurance, etc

7. Human Resources

8. Projects

9. Communications and Team Briefing Core Brief

10. Date of next meeting

  

 Time meeting finished:  

 Signed and dated as a true record.............................  

 Writer's initials, file reference and date:  

Mediation and running mediation meetings

Ensure you have a clear agenda - ensure both sides submit items for inclusion - the agenda is the method by which you control the meeting (timings, items being discussed, staying on track, realistically intended outcomes from agenda items). Keep insisting that each side really truly tries to learn and understand the other side's aims, objectives, feelings, background etc. Understanding is different to agreeing - very important to keep explaining this - by understanding each other there can be constructive debate towards agreement, without understanding, any agreement is impossible, so too is sensible adult discussion. Try to agree the meeting aims with the attendees before the start - important to keep this realistic - don't try to reach agreement too early - concentrate on developing mutual understanding and to diffuse conflict and emotional issues which make it impossible to move on any further. If the gulf is too big to make any progress at all, suggest a job swap or shadow for a week - the chief of each side should experience the other side's challenges and day-to-day difficulties. This will certainly improve mutual understanding and can accelerate improvement in cooperation and agreement.

Follow the rules of running meetings where helpful so that you plan the meeting and keep control.

When you seat people at the meeting mix them up to avoid adversarial one-side-facing-the-other situation, which will happen unless you split them up.

 Strategic planning, goal setting meetings

Start with the vision - what do we want this business to be in two years time?... infrastructure, staff, structure, communications and IT, customers, markets, services, products, partners, routes to market, quality and mission values, broad numbers and financials. If delegate numbers permit, allocate syndicates a number of aspects each. Change groups as appropriate, move between whole group brainstorms to small group syndicates sessions. If appropriate use coloured modelling clay and/or construction kits to provide an interesting way for delegates to express shape, structure, etc., for each vision aspect (many people do not work well using only verbal or written media - shape and touch are essential to the creative process). Then work on the necessary enablers, obstacles, cause-and-effect steps along the way for each aspect aim. This will result in the basic timescale and strategic plan. And to add an extra dimension to the meeting and planning process - and too reinforce relationships with your most important customers, suppliers and partners - invite some of them along to the meeting to contribute, validate ideas and collaborate. It's a particularly useful way to make the the session more dynamic and meaningful, as well as keeping the focus on the real world.