No matter who you are or where you work, you go to meetings. There is a spectrum of how you feel about meetings. It looks like this:
My goal with this post is to move you, at least a little, from the eel side to the OMG side of things by sharing some tips on how to make your meetings effective, useful, and fun.
Purpose.
- Always have a clear goal or purpose for the meeting, and make sure everyone knows.
- Always have an agenda (even if it’s just “5-minute update from both teams”). Again, make sure everyone knows.
Timing.
- Create an expectation that meetings start and end on time, and stick to it.
- Limit meetings to 30 minutes and see what you can actually do with that focused time.
- Start meetings at an unusual time, like 1:36 pm.
- How do you make sure to stay on time? Read on…
Technology.
- Place a Phone Basket by the door and have everyone, including leadership, put their phones in there.
Consequences.
- To ensure these guidelines are respected, institute consequences – positive or negative – for behaviors that support or undermine being on time.
- For example, if you’re late, do 10 pushups for every late minute or you have to sing a song in front of the group.
- If you are the reason a meeting goes long, you have to buy a round of drinks for everyone, or bring coffee for everyone next time.
- If a phone rings during the meeting, the person needs to make a donation to a non-profit of choice.
Bring in a graphic recorder or graphic facilitator.
- Your team will be able to wade through complexity more quickly and easily by seeing the conversation take place in front of them.
- People stay engaged and better remember key ideas from the meeting.
- Seeking connections and working collaboratively become second nature to the group.
- Having a tangible map of what was achieved helps keep people focused and action-oriented after the meeting is over.
To me, the key for success here is building these behaviors and expectations into the organization’s culture.
For more great tips on effective meetings, read this article from Fast Company.
Once again, thank you from my heart and soul for your support, great senses of humor, brilliant minds, collaboration and what you're each doing to make the world a better place.
Cheers, Karina
Interested in hosting the most interesting meetings in the world?
Where in the World is ConverSketch?
This week I’m out East in the DC area with the NSA again. We’re talking leadership, resiliency, and management styles and how to help teams work better together.