July 28, 2011
OPEN Forum Message
Affordably Build Your Brand
FedEx Global Brand Management Director Monica Skipper shares a cost-effective way to build a bigger brand for your small business.
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Featured Response
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Kristi Burnside Shoemaker
They say there are two kinds of people: the ones who divide everything into two kinds and the ones who can’t count. Being the first, I contemplate my mixed feelings about meetings and hear myself saying…
There are two kinds of meetings: those that get things done, and meetings that undo things. A clear definition might be that a meeting is a gathering of thinking people to move forward the thinking of a business. Most great meetings make the work easier and provide what participants need to do their jobs better. Not so great meetings make work out of nothing and spend time discussing what participants find irrelevant to the jobs their doing. All of us focused on creating new and stronger businesses have little time for meetings that don’t work, those that undo things or those make unnecessary work.
I’ve attended, observed and lead thousands of meetings and read volumes on what keeps people producing high value engagement in meetings. I produce an event built around building businesses through a mastermind meeting concept. I also run a business that is built on meeting with partners and new clients on their strategy for creating stronger businesses online and off.
Time is important to all of us. So making every meeting relevant or not having it is what works best in my work.
Here are five questions to irresistibly relevant, power-packed meetings:
Consider for a minute the unnaturalness of the meeting. Meetings are an interruption, distraction and an unnatural focus because they must be scheduled at a time that works for a group. Often, few people invited have the time-goal orientation to crave that particular meeting conversation at the exact time it is scheduled. Some needed it days ago. Some need it weeks from now. Some have no reason to know they even need it.
Giving serious consideration to those conditions, I’ve distilled five questions to help me determine I should suggest a meeting. The questions respect the idea that investing time in a meeting has to be worth the loss of using that time doing other things that the business is needing.
What is the clear objective of the meeting?
Even regular meetings need a bottom line goal for getting together. The purpose can be one to three things—more than three is too many for a single meeting. Discuss the objective with every invitee so that he or she can be thinking about it and bring a clear point of view to the meeting. Use action based objectives—to decide…, to review…, to determine…, to narrow…, to state opinions…—list them clearly as the objective of the meeting.
Which people are key to achieving the objective?
From an introduction to a sales presentation, to a project update, every person walking into the room should be aware their role is in the meeting.
As you consider who might be attending, think in terms of roles—it helps to keep focus on the objective and gathering the strongest team to meet them. Ask who best understands the objective. Ask how the objective outcome will impact each person’s work? Consider who understands process or has the thinking that will add value to the objective decision? Determine who can be served by sharing an update of the meeting.
Which people are attending as audience?
People with no insight or experience to change the outcome are “audience.” Make that distinction and your expectations clear to those you invite to attend in that role. Without explaining their role, such as training or observation, including audience disrespects their time and value or worse can lead to confusion. Take a few minutes before the meeting to establish everyone’s reason for attending. Also allow participants to recognize if they feel their input isn’t crucial to achieve a satisfying resolution to the objective.
How much time is needed to achieve the objective?
New relationships require longer conversations. Bigger or more sensitive issues require more time to explain. Yet we sometimes schedule meetings to “fit” a calendar. Match the size of the objectives to the amount of time needed to get the work done well and successfully. “As many minutes as we need and not a minute more” is a favorite saying. Plan 15-20 minutes more than expected to allow for an interruption or to uncover that hidden assumption.
How will you engage everyone in the outcome?
Having a clear objective, the right people to work on it, and enough time to do it well make a great foundation. It deserves the right invitation to engage in the meeting. A few minutes spent to state the objectives and the participants is a few minutes well invested. Choosing a tone that says with energy how you look forward to achieving a positive outcome will go even further if you add a statement that you plan to be in the room 10 minutes early just to be sure the meeting starts on time so that it might even finish early.
At the start of the meeting, remember the value of hospitality. Welcome and thank everyone for coming and bringing their best thinking. Introduce everyone—even if they know each other—with a brief statement of their expertise and the way you’re looking forward to their unique contribution. Review the objectives and the time allowed for each. Then layout the first objective and ask the person with the most information to explain why it needs discussing. Continue moderating the meeting.
A great meeting with the right people can be inspiring. When we have a clear objective and the time to tackle it, it’s a powerful feeling. Business again becomes exciting, efficient and meaningful. What could be more irresistible? Don’t you wish you could find that in every meeting?
Check your balance, review recent transactions and pay your bill on the go.
Kristi Burnside Shoemaker 9 months ago
I agree. Nothing worse than wasting time in a bad meeting. Here is a related article.http://www.ecsellinstitute.com/blog/bid/52967/Why-we-love-meetings-Should-we