20 ideas to bring Meaning back to your Meetings

In last week's leadership meeting, Darryl Booth said that he felt our sessions could be more productive. He asked if the team had similar feelings. We did—and we made a pact to do something about it—to come to next Wednesday's session with ideas on how to improve productivity when we meet.

Leadership Ideas I love to read books, and I am always willing to try new things. For those who do not have time for either, I like to occasionally share ideas that have worked for my teams.

In no particular order, I've collected and catalogued twenty suggestions for making our next meeting—and maybe yours—an effective one:

1. Be clear about the goals of the meeting from the outset.

2. If the goals can be met or the issues can be resolved without a meeting, cancel the meeting.

3. Consider beforehand what will make the meeting successful and what will make it unsuccessful.

4. Consider what would or would not happen if the meeting was not held.

5. Remember that the presence of senior managers often inhibit discussion.

6. Hold the meeting away from your work space so that you may leave easily.

7. If something is decided in one meeting, it should remain decided in the next.

8. Do not allow colleagues to stray from the agenda.

9. Before the meeting, communicate with attendees to focus them on the issues.

10. Be selective with information during the meeting to avoid overload.

11. Consider differences in time zones if the meeting is a conference call.

12. Optimize the meeting by time-boxing discussions.

13. Repeat your name when you speak during a conference call.

14. Always consider carefully the type of meeting you are attending.

15. Keep all meetings as small as possible to minimize distraction.

16. Place a watch or cell-phone on the table to track time spent.

17. Circulate relevant documents days before the meeting begins.

18. Canvas support from possible allies in advance of the meeting.

19. Quick daily stand-up meetings are a great way to keep everyone in the loop on daily activities and project status.

20. Weekly tactical meetings should resolve issues and enforce clarity. Other discussions should be scheduled as separate smaller meetings.

For more information on the subject, I recommend these books: Death by Meeting, Successful Meetings, and the Essential Manager's Manual.