3 Keys to Leading an Effective Meeting
We’ve all been part of a bad meeting. Ain’t nobody got time for that! Here are 3 elements to consider when running your next meeting.
Have an Agenda
To many meetings start without a clear purpose or desired outcomes. Sometimes it helps to work backwards and think about the desired outcome (E+R=O). This will also help to develop an agenda for the meeting.
Agendas should always be sent out prior to the meeting. This helps people understand what’s in it for them (WIIFT) and gives them time to plan and prepare accordingly—The Introverts of the group will especially appreciate this!
Having an agenda also provides a roadmap for the conversation to follow. It can be easy to go off topic or try and tackle too much in one meeting, which is why it’s also important to have timekeeper or at least making sure you always start and stop a meeting on time.
2. Designate a Timekeeper
We all know that person who always starts a meeting late and never ends it on time. Do your best not to be that person! Time is money, of course, and all that sitting around and trying to guess when the meeting will start is a quick way to kill team morale. Just as important as starting on time is ending on time.
A definitive end time will help ensure that you accomplish what’s on your agenda and get people back to their work promptly. One way to ensure this happens is by designating a timekeeper. The Timekeeper helps the leader maintain the agenda's order by tracking how much time is allotted for each section of the agenda.
Having a dedicated Timekeeper separate from the person facilitating the meetings also helps to ensure they move through the entire agenda by giving advance notice when a time limit is near and helps the team renegotiate time if the task is incomplete and needs further attention.
3. End with Commitment to Actions
One of the main benefits of having a timekeeper is that it helps to ensure you have the last few minutes of a meeting to discuss next steps. The clearer everyone is on who will do what by when (WWDWBW), the better! Otherwise, what was that meeting for? Not only does it ensure clarity on next steps, but it will also help to create accountability—especially when this becomes the standard.