7 Myths That Make Meetings
Miserable
By: Steve Kaye
Myth 1: Executives belong in
meetings.
Although the demands of
business cause executives to attend more meetings than other
professionals, executives need to avoid meetings. Top management
is responsible for vision, strategy, plans, and communication.
That means executives should spend most of their time thinking,
learning, planning, and communicating. Inefficient, ineffective
meetings waste the time of the company's most valuable
employees.
Better: Ask probing questions
when invited to make sure that your presence will add value. For
example, "What are your goals for the meeting?"
"How will I contribute to achieving those goals?" and
"How can I prepare for the meeting?" After all, you
want to contribute to an effective meeting if you decide to
attend.
Myth 2: Holding a large
meeting is impressive.
Actually, holding a large
meeting is expensive. It can also be impressive if it is
conducted properly, which means that it will be as small a
possible.
Better: Invite only those who
can make meaningful contributions. The likelihood of holding an
effective meeting diminishes with groups larger than ten or
twelve.
Myth 3: Structure inhibits
spontaneity.
This is true if your goal is to
obtain random outcomes over infinite time. While this may
occasionally produce spectacular results, such as winning a
lottery, you can achieve predictable results faster by applying
structured activities. These help people make methodical
progress toward results. Otherwise, the group is attending a
party, instead of working in a meeting.
Better: Use structured
activities to keep you in control of your meeting and make
progress toward results.
Myth 4: People are too busy
to prepare agendas.
Since there is always time to
repeat a task, fix a problem, or make an apology, there must be
time to take the steps that avoid such dilemmas. Overall,
preparing an agenda saves time and money.
Better: Prepare an agenda or,
if you are too busy, ask someone to do it for you. Then send the
agenda to the participants so that they can prepare for the
meeting.
Myth 5: Minutes are
unnecessary.
This is true for any meeting
where people wasted time producing nothing. Effective meetings
produce results that are worth documenting. Minutes serve to
track action items, record decisions, and inform others. If you
are planning a meeting with no results worth documenting, ask
yourself why that meeting is necessary.
Better: Record key ideas,
agreements, and action items during the meeting. Then convert
these notes into minutes.
Myth 6: Meetings should last
a long time.
While this may be true for some
meetings, most meetings can be conducted in less than an hour.
Long, casual meetings lull people into lethargy. In general,
people are able to focus on a task for 30 to 60 minutes. Then
their attention fades and they take mental holidays to think
about other things.
Better: Plan meetings where you
spend time and resources in proportion to the value of the
results. That is, an effective meeting should be designed to
earn a profit. Also, plan short breaks every 50 minutes.
Myth 7: The effectiveness of
meetings is a low priority.
This is true if you seldom hold
meetings. Of course, if you have more than two employees, you
need meetings to make decisions, reach agreements, and develop
solutions. Effective meetings are a critically essential
activity in running a business. They harness the combined wisdom
of your staff to invent products, increase sales, improve
productivity, plan strategies, and create success.
Better: Learn how to plan and
conduct meetings that make your business a success.
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About The Author
Certified professional
facilitator and author Steve Kaye helps groups of
people hold effective meetings. His innovative workshops
have informed and inspired people nationwide. His
facilitation produces results that people will support.
And his books "The Manager's Pocket Guide to
Effective Meetings," "Meetings in an Hour or
Less," and "117 Tips for Effective
Meetings" show how to hold effective meetings. Call
714-528-1300 or visit http://www.stevekaye.com
for over 100 pages of information.
steve@stevekaye.com |
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