Why Meetings Suck - Part Two
Talking about meetings hit a chord last month. Many leaders complain about the lack of interaction with team members in their regular meetings. Before we start beating people to make comments, I think we need to be clear on what are reasonable expectations for meetings.
There are four types of meetings. You should expect different interaction levels based on the type of meeting you are holding. So, first, decide what the meeting is for.
- Information meetings are simply intended to share important information about various aspects of the business. The purpose is to hear from you, to brief you, and to inform attendees about important developments. There is usually little interaction and the meeting size can be 10 people, 15 people, or more. The expectation is simply to pass on needed information in one setting. There may be a few questions but don't expect a lot of interaction from all attendees.
- Consultation meetings are to bring people together to discuss with you and provide opinions for you about key decisions you are making. They do not make decisions but provide you with information, debate the relevant issues and act as a sounding board before you make your decisions. The purpose is to make you better informed and better able to make the best decisions. You do expect interaction and the attendance should be limited to five to eight people. To gain the best interaction, send out information prior to the meeting so everyone has a chance to think.
- Coordinating meetings are intended to plan and organize activities and actions so everyone executes strategically important initiatives. Typically the attendees are interdependent and you would expect a lot of interaction. People should know the agenda prior to the meeting and work on preparation before attending. There would be a high degree of interaction and involvement. Size would be best at five to eight people and definitely less than ten. These meetings can quickly descend into a reading of "to-do lists" which bore other people silly so attention should be given to talking about priorities and how actions impact on others. The key to successful coordinating meetings is a clear agenda and a focus on "what to do" rather than "what has been done".
- Decision making meetings are intended for the purpose of making critical decisions. There needs to be interaction and involvement from everyone for the best outcome. Therefore, keep the attendance small and think about who you need there for perspective and input. Too often, we include people in meetings just because. We all have demands on our time - invite the people who are needed for making the decision. For best results, make sure everyone knows a decision is to be made, provide all the background information prior to the session, and ensure people are prepared. The optimal size is four to eight people. Larger groups have great problems in achieving success in this type of forum - it ends up with a few people dominating and others looking at their watch.
There is a key point here - for greater interaction, keep the numbers small in the meeting. The larger the number of people attending the meeting, the more likely it will be information sharing and don't expect a lot of interaction.
To have the best meetings, decide first what type of meeting you want and plan accordingly. You may actually get what you expect.
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