How to make meetings work

How often have you chaired a meeting that has gone on for a painfully long time and completely lost focus? Across countless organisations, meetings start late, erupt in conflict, lose focus and accomplish little. Are there any golden rules to make them more effective? “Have a plan. It may be a bad plan, but it’s better than having no plan.” This was the advice to young Asim Handa from his athletics coach in college. While his days as an athlete are long over, the advice has stuck, more so while conducting meetings, says Handa, Country Manager, Futurestep, a Korn/Ferry Company.

Five tips for efficient meetings 1. Don’t meet if the same information could be covered in an e-mail or a brief report. 2.Begin the meeting on time even if a few participants are missing. 3. Be absolutely clear on what the agenda is and follow it. 4.Make it interactive. Don’t dominate the discussion. 5. Bring the meeting to a clear, constructive close. What goes into an agenda The purpose and the desired outcome of the meeting. Who the participants are. The date, time and place. The length of the meeting. A list of the topics to be covered. A list stating who will address each topic and for how long. Any background information participants will need to know.

A successful meeting takes thought and planning, says communication expert and author of Working the Room, Nick Morgan. So, plan all that you wish to cover in the meeting in advance so that there is far less chance of getting sidetracked. Plus, preparation will give you clarity on what the meeting is all about.

Be absolutely clear on what the agenda is and what you want to achieve (see What Goes Into an Agenda?). If communication experts are to be believed, that’s half your task accomplished. According to Morgan, every group meeting goes through three phases—a warm-up, a work phase, during which tasks are accomplished, and a closing phase, when the matter of the meeting is summarised and next steps are determined.

Begin the meeting on time even if a few participants are missing. When they arrive and discover that they have missed some important points, they will know not to be late the next time around.

The prime objective is to follow the agenda. Says Morgan: “For a small meeting, your agenda can be relatively loose, but for a larger group, the more structure you provide, the more effective the meeting will be.”

While you are in the midst of discussion, make sure that everyone gets a chance to speak and ask for feedback regularly. “Most of the Indian business leaders are task-focussed and less interactive. It inhibits people from opening up in meetings,” says Handa. But, what about a good meeting that goes astray because of interruptions? If some participants disturb the meeting, try asking a question. “Be sure to include the transgressors among people you would like to hear from,” says Morgan.