It’s funny how excited we were about meetings when we were in our first role that required us to attend them; it gave us a little sense of importance. “Sorry, I got a meeting man,” we’d tell a buddy with a sense of pride. Like we were about to do something important… How quickly that novelty wears off.
.
Meetings are necessary sometimes. But there’s also a reason people hate them: they are overused and misused. It’s like every time there’s a problem there has to be a meeting. If things are going well – there is a meeting. If it’s someone’s birthday – there is a meeting.
.
So it doesn’t take many meetings to realize that they often are not the best use of a group’s time. Let’s look at the factors that make or break a good meeting so you can use them to keep your group engaged and productive instead of resentful and bored.
What makes or breaks a meeting:
.
1. Need
This is probably one of the most violated of these factors. Even if you have weekly meetings – if there comes a week where you have no need to meet, and you decide to meet for the sake of “continuity” – you’re asking for an unproductive hour of life that you’ll never get back.
.
Before calling a meeting, answer for yourself: Why is your group meeting?
.
Consider: Does it have to be an in-person meeting? Can it be done on the phone, or communicated via e-mail?
.
You’ll have to use some judgment here, as if you have to discuss a complex issue with input from multiple sides, it may be best to have an all-out meeting. (If you’re not the person calling it – ask the person who called it why you are meeting if you’re unsure. It’s for everyone’s benefit.)
.
After you decide why you need to meet, decide who needs to be there. And clearly state in your call for the meeting what your meeting is going to accomplish. That will actually get people a little more excited to come. Show people you value their time and make the meeting optional for the ones who do not need to be there.
.
2. Structure
Along the same lines – take that exact need for the meeting and structure the meeting agenda around the need(s). Anything else discussed is lost time.
.
Look at every item on your agenda and ask: Does this HAVE to be discussed in-person with the whole group? (Can it be a side-convo? Done via e-mail? Conference call? Or executive decision without group input?)
.
One way to help structure meetings: Time each item on the agenda. For example – “fundraising ideas: 20 minutes.” This keeps your group from going on tangents or discussing details that can be figured out later and lets your meeting ending on time.
.
Another benefit of the structured agenda is that your group will know exactly why you are meeting, and when the meeting will end. They’ll be much more ready to participate when they know what to expect.
.
3. Facilitation
.
You can have a great reason to meet and a well-structured agenda, but you still have to put in the work of facilitating the meeting. This includes both steering the meeting topics and decision-making as well as taking notes. One way to accomplish this is have a designated person to facilitate the meeting, and one person take notes.
.
4. Close: next steps, decisions reached
Finally, after your successful meeting, you need to have a conclusion to remind everyone of what was accomplished and what responsibilities are due for each person. This an be done simply as an Action-Item list that is reviewed at the end of the meeting as well as a recap of the decisions you made.
.
Consider snacks too to keep your members awake and alert. And always thank them for their time. That’s it!
