Towards worthwhile meetings

Thursday, 01 October 2009

There’s a poster that ends with “Meetings, the Practical Alternative to Work”. It’s a funny, fashionable stereotype. In reality though, this kind of learned cynicism can blind you to the possibility of genuinely productive meetings.

Get to the point

So, how can you make meetings worth while – for yourself and everyone else? I reckon it’s like triage:

First, no pointless meetings. If there’s no discernible purpose, don’t do it.
• Second, some meetings can basically manage themselves. The content is predictable, the process is well established, efficiency is high and good outcomes are routine.
• Third are those meetings where the stakes are high enough that you have to get it right.

Therefore, why are you meeting? What’s the real topic of discussion? What research have you done to explore and validate it? Why would people want to come together and work with on that topic? What’s in it for you and for them?

What’s the context? What issues and/or opportunities are driving the topic? What events or forces are happening beyond the immediate concerns that make this topic important right now?

Who are the stakeholders – what are their needs and interests with respect to the topic? How do you find out about those needs and interests. How do you take them into account? Which of those stakeholders will be part of the actual meeting?

What’s the time horizon under consideration? A six month project? A ten year community development plan? What impact does that have on the other factors?

Getting clear on all this is often an iterative process. Each time you go round the loop, it gets clearer. It does have to be done. Strangely enough though, it doesn’t have to take a long time. It is definitely time well spent.

You can use the same tools and approaches to understand the terrain for a meeting as you use to make the meeting itself more effective. Practice makes perfect and it’s more efficient too.

Finally, you have to approach meeting preparation with an open mind. Meetings are an opportunity to achieve something useful rather than gritting your teeth or running away (what ever form that takes). Don’t blow that chance!

So, what’s your experience of a meeting with a clear purpose or point? Let us know.

Go well!

David Jago

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