Death by Meeting

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Are you getting meeting’d to death?

 

Every time I try and reach you on the phone, you are in a meeting?2D-2

 

One day I tried to call you all day and the answer was – she wants to talk with you but is still in a meeting.  This was hours later.  Same meeting.

 

Meeting – an assembly of people especially members of a society or committee for discussion or entertainment.

 

When was the last time you were in an entertaining meeting?  Really?

 

According to Wikipedia:

A meeting is a gathering of two or more people convened to achieve a common good through verbal interaction such as sharing information or to reach an agreement.

 

I spoke to a couple of friends the other day – just left a grilling 5-hour meeting and they tabled most of the stuff.  Five hours – how can it be?  Are you kidding me?

 

We have taken the “reach agreement” out of the meetings and made them “information sharing sessions” or worse.

 

Are you busy?

Should you sit in a room and share stuff you can read or listen to on your own?

Listening to stuff that has no effect on you.

Most meetings of 5 plus people are dominated by 2 people who could have the conversation without an audience.

 

So – how can you have an effective meeting?  Let me share with you today.

 

1/        A time limit?

Not to be exceeded.

One hour or less (some cases stretch to 2 but never more).

The key is to know how long before the meeting starts and let everyone know.

This is a 45-minute meeting.

If it is 2 hours, I cannot come.

 

2/        A clear written and shared agenda.

New Book From The Coach
New Book From The Coach

Who, what and how much time each item gets, period.

Yes, it is hard.

But people just talk and talk and talk and talk and never shut up.

Stop

You get 15 minutes if you need more time, we will get you additional time in the future or perhaps you need your own meeting just for that topic.

 

3/        Stick to agenda time.

You need a sheriff to keep the meeting on track.

Sheriff’s job is – you get this much time and if you need more – tabled.

No excepts.

It does work and so much more gets done.

 

***Want to see a great meeting kept on track – check out Toastmasters*****

 

4/        Clear purpose of the meeting in measurable terms.

To determine which option to take on the new equipment.

To determine the final number of hirers for the project.

To determine the preliminary budget for 2020.

 

Stop meeting if you don’t have this.

This is a meeting, not a chit chat session.

 

5/        Get people all the information before the meeting.

Anything they can review.

Give them plenty of time.

Nothing worse than a meeting where everyone is reading.

The only thing worse is a bad PowerPoint slide with 100 words on it.

 

6/        Require people to read and review.

Make it a rule.

Enforce it.

Make people understand – don’t come to the meeting if you have not reviewed the data.  We are not spending the team’s time while you catch up.

Please check out my latest book - you will love it!
Please check out my latest book – you will love it!

7/        Set the presentation rules.

Time

Slides

Scope

 

8/        Stop people going off into all kinds of never-never land stuff.

Taking the conversation way out of scope.

 

9/        Get input from all members.

Ask them their opinion.

If they don’t have one – why are they in the meeting.

Don’t they have something else to do?

 

10/      If it doesn’t relate to the purpose – get it out.

Including chit chat.

Including small talk.

Including what you did last week.

 

Are you ready to take some action today and get your meetings on track?

 

Great leaders have an effective meeting and don’t get “death by meeting.”

 

You can learn more on our leadership offering – click here.

 

Why don’t we set up a 15 minute call so we can learn more about each other.

CoachManny.com/schedule.