Imagine being invited to a friend’s house for dinner. You arrive with an appetite, excited to see what’s on the menu. Your host begins the meal by serving light salad of fresh vegetables, and the two of you chat about the day at work.

Having dispatched of the salad, you look forward to the main course. Five minutes pass, and then ten more. Although you’re enjoying conversation, your host still hasn’t served another dish. As your stomach begins to rumble, you wonder when your friend will realize that he/she has forgotten to bring out the next round of food.

Finally, your host clears away the salad bowls, and you prepare for the arrival of a long-overdue entrée. However, something curious happens. Instead of being served a plate of pasta or chicken, you’re treated to a small cupcake—and that’s it!

An Agenda with Substance

Many meeting-goers can relate to our confused, underfed dinner guest. They show up to a conference room expecting to take part in something substantial, but nothing of consequence is ever discussed. When the meeting adjourns, they feel as if their time has been wasted, and they wonder why they were asked to come in the first place.

The world moves faster than ever, and people’s time is precious. Respect your coworkers and clients by making sure your meetings are meaningful. Before asking for a slot on everyone’s schedule, I would suggest creating a pre-meeting checklist.

  • Is it absolutely necessary to meet in person, or could information be passed along in an email?
  • Do I have clear objectives to accomplish at the meeting?
  • Does the meeting’s objective really require a group decision?

Until you can answer, “yes” to all three questions, don’t schedule the meeting. Otherwise, you’ll frustrate your employees by frittering away their time.

Facilitation Best Practices, Leadership Development, Team Effectiveness  Tagged , , No Comments »