Things promised but never practicably delivered: The paperless office, the Dymaxion House (click on the link to learn more about this exhibit at The Henry Ford Museum), personal flying machines, and life without meetings.
One client recently calculated that over the past 12 months his team has invested the equivalent of more than two full-time positions having team members attend unnecessary meetings.
If we're not going to eliminate meetings, then we might as well make them worth attending. Here are seven factors to consider when planning productive meetings.
Factor #1: Posture
Sitting suggests that we are settling in for more than a few minutes. Standing communicates an expectation of brevity.
Some meetings require significant time and the opportunity to spread materials out in front of the participants, but many do not.
Consider whether a meeting can be conducted standing up.
Factor #2: Location
If you manage the efforts of others, consider going to their offices for meetings. Three reasons: 1) It is easier for you to leave their offices than to kick them out of yours (while not universally true, for many of you as leaders it is); 2) It demonstrates your willingness to get up from your desk and come to your team members on their turf; and 3) It allows you to dictate your posture - standing for a brief conversation or sitting for a longer discussion.
For those conference room meetings, never put a presenter with his back to a wall of glass with a beautiful landscape or a bustling office in the background.
As the leader it is better for you to sit at the end of the table than in the middle of one side. This isn't about conveying an image of power as much as allowing you to make eye contact with each participant.
Factor #3: Focus
Agendas can be effective and help to maximize the use of time. Be careful that agendas don't lose their significance. Review them frequently and make changes as needed.
Allow some meetings to be more free-form. I suggest quarterly half-day off-sites for these larger, less structured conversations, but more frequent, routine meetings should have clear agendas that keep participants focused on what matters.
One strategy: Put items you want to be processed by the largest number of team members in the middle of the meeting when people are most likely to be there (the late-comers have arrived and the early-leavers have not yet left).
Factor #4: Frequency
Sometimes more frequent meetings increase productivity. Many teams find that daily stand-up meetings or weekly team meetings are invaluable.
The question: How frequently do we need to meet to most effectively achieve our objective for meeting?
Factor #5: Duration
While you may assume I always favor briefer meetings, never underestimate the benefit to team morale of allowing time for people to chat, laugh, and connect on a personal level. Talking about the latest movies may feel like an utter waste of time, but it may help team members to enjoy each other and that may be one of the best ways to increase their productivity outside of the meeting.
Factor #6: Follow-up
I can't tell you how many meetings I have attended as an outside observer during which I took more notes than any of the attendees. Is there someone who takes notes for the group? Does each team member come prepared to write down items of significance to him/her? Are all decisions expressed in terms of what, by whom, by when, and how? If not, you are making vacuous decisions, easily ignored, and rarely implemented.
Factor #7: Consistent Review
At least annually you should be asking these questions about each meeting on your calendar: 1) Is the purpose clear to the participants? 2) Is the purpose being achieved? 3) Are the appropriate people (including those from outside your team) in attendance? 4) Should this regularly scheduled meeting be continued? 5) Are there meetings that should be added?
