HOW TO PREPARE

FOR A MEETING

It was Hendrik van Loan who once said that a meeting will only be successful if it has three participants—one of whom he is away sick and another who is absent. Organizational life is never that generous to managers, however, meetings have become an unavoidable aspect of manager’s role. Fortunately, it is possible to eliminate unnecessary meetings and to make the remaining ones more effective.

An important ingredient is planning and preparation, as the following points reveal.

Meetings should never become a ritual. They cost time and money so it’s important to call a meeting only when one is warranted—to solve a problem, to coordinate activities, to disseminate and discuss urgent information , to reach a consensus or decision, to build morale, to reconcile conflicts

Make sure you’ve called the meeting for a reason

So don’t ask people to attend a listening session only—send a memo or newsletter instead.

Be clear on the purposes of the meeting and your hoped- for outcomes. And how will you know when you have achieved them? By preparing a benchmark of productivity for the meeting---a checklist of what you want to accomplish, to refer to during the meeting and for use later to compare and hoped- for outcomes with the actual achievements.

Prepare a benchmark of productivity

Only those who need to attend should be invited to do so. Each non-essential attendee is wasting his/her time and costing your organization money. As well, the more people attending, the more difficult it is to achieve a consensus. Consider inviting participants to be present at a particular time, that is, for the agenda item for which their personal contribution is required.

Select the participants wisely

Call a meeting only when you have the information required for decision making and you can be assured that the appropriate people will be in attendance. Ensure the venue is accessible to all participants, yet sufficiently remote to avoid interruptions. Check out and book the location---seating, lighting, ventilation, whiteboards, electrical requirements and other essentials.

Select the right time and place for the meeting

The more care you take with an agenda, the more productive the meeting will be. The agenda should be more than just a list of items handed out at the meeting. Key elements would include:

Date, time, place and duration of meeting List of items to be discussed in sequence,

detailing for each item, who will lead the discussion, time, allocated and, importantly, the objective (information sharing/discussion only/decision required/problem to be solved etc.)

Prepare and distribute an agenda that will work

By giving adequate advance notice and distributing the agenda and support documents for all items, you will demonstrate your thoroughness and instill confidence in your leadership. (Remember, people being what people are, to allow time at the beginning of your meeting for review of documents you realize may not have been read in advance.)

Dispatch agenda and background papers

If emotional or controversial issues, for example, are to be discussed during the meeting, it is sometimes a good idea to talk through these items with some of the key participants beforehand. Consider their reactions and how you might handle them during the meeting to achieve the desired outcomes.

Do your homework on the participants

Make sure you have considered the following items frequently required during a meeting notepaper, pens, flip chart, whiteboard, refreshments, overhead, projector, telephone, tape, recorder, and so on.

Gather appropriate tools for the meeting

Mental preparations is also a vital consideration and, in this regard, the following suggestions are offered:

Know the meeting process and your role as the chairperson. Understand the rules of the game before you play—whether these be formal rules of order involving motions, voting, adjournments etc., or unofficial rules developed by your own organization for meeting procedures.

Be prepared psychologically

Do your homework. Be prepared and knowledgeable about the topics under discussion.

Believe you can lead. If you have been called upon to lead, someone believes you can do it. So be confident yourself that you can.

Seize the opportunity. Responsibility requires extra effort. Give it –and grow in the position.

Aim high. Strive for excellence, set the example, and others will follow.

HOW TO CONDUCT A SUCCESSFUL MEETING 

Every manager needs to be able to master the skills of chairing a meeting. A meeting chaired effectively will have the participants leaving with a sense of accomplishment and a clear understanding of future direction and task. If you want to conduct successful meetings as chairperson, then here are the important steps in the process for you to follow.

When you wait for latecomers, you penalize those who have arrived on time—and you inadvertently reward those who came late. Before long, everyone will arrive late. So, how do you get people to your meetings on time? By starting on time! Always.

Start on time

Welcome and introduce yourself and other participants and, if necessary, explain their roles. Clarify the objectives of the meeting, ensuring that each member understands the task at hand and is aware of the expertise available in the group. Be brisk and business-like.

Get the meeting off to a business-like start

Check that each member publicly agrees with the stated objective of each listed agenda item, thereby ensuring that all irrelevant and hidden agendas become redundant. Indicate the criteria for a successful meeting and, in particular, how the group will decide or know when the outcomes are achieved. Other items might be suggested and, after listing these in ‘Other Business’, close off the agenda.

Preview and confirm the agenda

A meeting is held for a purpose—so keep its main objectives and desired outcomes clearly in mind at all times. Consider the following process:◦ Initiate discussion on each item by setting the

scene briefly and asking for responses. You may refer the matter first to a member who can make the best initial contribution.

◦ Reinforce each item. When moving on to a new agenda item, reiterate and clarify its purpose and objective.

Focus continually on your objectives

Try to end on a positive note, even when there has been substantial disagreement during the meeting---perhaps save for last an agenda item on which everyone can agree. Respect the plans of those who assumed the meeting would end on time. This will mean bringing discussion to a halt about five minutes before the scheduled finishing time. Sum up the entire meeting, restate the outcomes, confirm allotted tasks and deadlines, and thank participants. Arrange the next meeting with members.

End on a positive note—and on time

While the meeting is still fresh in your mind, it is important to assess the meeting’s effectiveness and your own leadership style. Use that information to make your next meeting better.

Review and analyze the success of your meeting

Concise minutes, including a listing of decisions made, the tasks assigned, and the deadlines for action and follow-up, should be completed and distributed promptly. Where necessary, inform other interested parties of outcomes as soon as possible after the meeting.

In the period following the meeting, monitor the progress of assignments if possible. At the next meeting, uncompleted assignments should be considered first unmet deadlines discussed. Such accountability helps ensure that the agreed outcomes of your meeting have some meaning next time.

Follow-up promptly