SOLUTION 17
MEET OUT OF NEED, NOT OUT OF HABIT
‘Meetings are indispensable when you don’t want to do anything.’ John Kenneth Galbraith
No doubt you have spent too many hours in meetings for no perceptibly useful reason. But to write them off as nothing but collective time wasted would be unfair. When conducted properly, they are an important part of a communication strategy and an effective way to work with team members.
the leading complaint in most organizations is that there are too many meetings
The mistake made by many managers is to hold meetings because they are ‘supposed to’. If you don’t need to have a meeting, or if the meeting will not achieve something more easily and efficiently than another activity, simply don’t have it. If you decide a meeting is necessary, Solution 18 gives lots of tips for organizing an effective one.
Companies devote considerable resources to meetings. The typical manager spends at least eight hours a week in meetings – a full working day. Studies suggest companies may spend 10 per cent or more of their budgets on meetings.
TYPES OF MEETING
There are distinctly different types of meeting, and each can have its own requirements; it is important to understand the distinctions if you are to achieve your aims.
meeting: a gathering of people who want to exchange ideas and knowledge
Brainstorming meeting Idea generation, often through a facilitator. Follow-up is key and an additional meeting may be required to decide which ideas merit implementation.
Work meeting When specific tasks need to be achieved, a focused agenda is important to prevent the meeting from dragging on.
Review meeting When assembling to go over previously completed work, it is essential to get material to attendees well in advance to maximize participation and moving on to the next step.
Status meeting This type of meeting is often unnecessary; it can usually be replaced with a memo or a report.
Start-up meeting This is the initial meeting on a project and is an opportunity to outline roles and responsibilities for a smooth working relationship. The attendee list is critical.
Regular or standing meeting Often pointless, particularly if selected participants merely take turns reciting information from printed reports.
QUICK FIX: VIRTUAL MEETINGS
Audio teleconferencing, video teleconferencing and web-hosted meetings are worth considering when you have employees in remote locations. They enable people to communicate without wasting time travelling to meeting venues.