Effective meetings produce results. Do you want to learn how to get far more accomplished in less time? Review the top 10 must do's for conducting effective meetings by Line of Sight.
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Top 10 Must Do’s For Effective Meetings
1.
2. Individual exercise
What was the most effective meeting you
have ever lead or attended?
Why? What sets it apart?
• What happened before the meeting?
• During the meeting?
• After the meeting?
What was your worst meeting?
Why? Describe behaviors, settings, etc.
2
3. How do we define “meeting”
3
1. An act or process of coming together as an
assembly for a common purpose.
2. A meeting is a gathering of two or more people
that has been convened for the purpose of
achieving a common goal through verbal
interaction, such as sharing information or
reaching agreement.
4. There are many different
types of meetings
Ad Hoc Issues Status Working Strategic
A short
conversation
with a few
people in a
hallway or over
coffee
A possibly
controversial
meeting with a
partner, client,
or even patient
to discuss
multiple
options
Reporting up
to senior staff
or a different
group that you
are
collaborating
Sitting in a
conference
room with co-
workers to
understand
status, solve
problems, or
make
decisions
Gathering
large groups
offsite for
several days
on a variety of
topics
4
5. Imagine
no more meetings
How much time would you have?
How productive would you be?
Seriously, would you be more productive?
What do you lose to meetings, especially
to bad meetings?
What do you gain from the
best meetings?
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6. There is a more effective,
more productive way to meet
Do more work up front
Get the right people in the room
Gather the right materials
pre-wire any key decisions
In the meeting focus
Stop long tangents
Avoid solving
Assign Actions
Follow up on the assignments
6
It looks like a bow tie
7. The Bowtie Meeting
Effective Meetings start in
advance of the actual
start time. Agendas,
attendees, agreements
and more can all be
prepared in advance to
improve the success of
the time together
Stick to the agenda. Ask
questions to keep
participants focused on
the purpose of the
meeting
Most results are realized
after the meeting. Assign
actions in the meeting,
move forward with the
agenda and hold people
accountable afterward
7
Prepare
30% 40% 30%*
Conduct
Meeting Follow-up
Participate
* Percentages vary by meeting type,
frequency and duration
8. Meeting Scorecard!
1 Did the meeting start on time?
2 Were the right people present in the right number?
3 Was a standing agenda followed?
4 Was the Action Log reviewed?
5 Were participants prepared?
6
Was participant attention focused?
(no sidebar conversations or cell phones)?
7 Leader managed time; people stuck to topic?
8 Open and honest conversation?
9 Issues constructively challenged?
10 Did the meeting end on time?
Total Score
Yes 2
Somewhat 1
No 0
9. When asked to conduct
a meeting, first ask…
How else could the result be accomplished?
Look at it critically
Respect your time; respect their time
9
10. Preparing the Bowtie Meeting
Agreement on objectives with the meeting sponsor
Send the agenda and materials in advance
Clarify why we are meeting and what will we accomplish?
Avoid negative surprises
Meet in advance with key stakeholders to present relevant
information that might startle them (aka, pre-wiring a meeting)
10
Prepare Follow-up
Participate
Conduct
Meeting
11. Plan your meetings well using
an agenda as your roadmap
1. Clarify the purpose
2. Invite (just) the right
participants
3. Develop a specific
agenda
4. Prepare and share
materials in advance
11
12. Conduct a Bow-tie Meeting
Most people are familiar with running a
meeting, but the Bow-tie format focuses
more on results and capturing actions to
complete after the meeting ends
12
Prepare
Conduct
Meeting Follow-up
Participate
13. A strong agenda makes
conducting easy
Effective agendas offer
clear durations for
topics and activities
Assign specific roles
A timekeeper
A scribe or note keeper
Respect people’s time
Focus on Results
13
14. Results ≠ Time
Not all meetings need to be 60 minutes
Just because digital calendars default to 30-
minute increments
One week, ask for a 30 minute meeting and
see what is different
Conversations need to lead to results
If people want to “catch-up” schedule a
separate, more informal session such as a
shared lunch
14
15. Meeting guidelines help set
standards for behaviors
Be prepared; avoid reading in the meeting
Focus on the task at hand
1 conversation at a time
Minimize gadgets and multi-tasking
5-mintue rule if a topics runs too long
Be civil
Different opinions must be heard
15
16. Look for data, not assertions
Ask people, “How do you know?”
Assertion - “That will never work.”
Question - “How do you know?”
You may have no data or suspect data
Use the meeting to define what data is
needed and who can gather and validate
16
17. Decide how to decide
Most meetings require multiple
participants to come to agreement in the
following ways
Consensus – Most agree
Vote – Simple majority
Consult – listen, then a subset decides
Command – decisions do not involve others
17
18. 2 tools for capture and
keeping on track
Set time limits for agenda items
and stick to them; when topics run long,
stop conversation and capture them on…
18
Parking Lot
Tangential topics
Lengthy discussions
Not on the agenda
Action Log
Who does what by when
Action log reviews
should be an agenda
item
19. The outcome of the meeting is
often realized after the event
Effective meetings capture actions and
items to process after people leave the
room; now the real work is accomplished
Keep clear, simple meeting notes
Not a verbatim report, just decisions, actions
19
Prepare Follow-up
Conduct
Meeting
Participate
20. You can have a positive influence
in every meeting you attend
Stay involved
Don’t check-out or try to multitask
Ask questions that bring the group back on task
Guide teams to resolve issues and keep moving
forward
20
Prepare
Conduct
Meeting Follow-up
Participate
21. Participate well
Listen, support, contribute
Keep the meeting focused and on track
“How are we doing on our agenda?”
“Is there an action we should capture?”
“Is this something we should discuss offline?”
Say “and” more than you say “but”
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22. Putting it into practice
What will you do differently tomorrow?
How will you improve your meetings in
three weeks? In three months?
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23. Contact Us
Discover how your organization can
run more effective meetings today by
contacting Line of Sight.
Get started today!
23
Facilitator can discuss the different types. Look back to the initial exercise; where do participants spend their time
Facilitator can discuss the different types. Look back to the initial exercise; where do participants spend their time
Alt. What to you gain from meetings? What do you lose? Would it be possible to perform in and run a large complex Agency?
Author’s note: need to segment assessment into sections that align with the agenda. Reinforce common, repeatable points.
Facilitator Note: the last bullet should be reinforced throughout. One major outcome of this session may be a noticeable reduction in the number of meetings
Facilitators: People are already pre-wiring. Ask how they prepare for success. Uncover best practices to share.
Facilitator: You probably run a fraction of the meetings you attend, but you are not off the hook.