Idea 100: How to manage meetings

Before holding any meeting, ask yourself these five questions:

1. Why are we meeting?
2. What would be the result of not having the meeting, or what should result from having it?
3. Who should attend?
4. How long should it be and how should it be structured?
5. When is the best time to hold it?

There are five types of meeting:

1. Briefing meetings – to impart and share information, to clarify points and incorporate ideas from others.
2. Advisory meetings – to gather views and advice and to outline or share any ideas.
3. Council meetings – to make and share responsibility for decisions, resolving differences on the way.
4. Committee meetings – to ‘vote’ on decisions and reach compromises/accommodations of different views on matters of common concern.
5. Negotiating meetings – to reach decisions by bargaining with other parties who are acting in their own best interest.

You should decide what each type of meeting you are to be involved with actually is and plan to run each type as time efficiently as possible, depending on their purpose.

Having decided that a meeting is really necessary, you should consider how much of your time (and other people's) the subject of it is worth. It should then begin and end on time. You should manage a meeting to ensure that progress is made and action decided. It is vital to get the involvement of all present (or else why are they there?) and end on a positive note.

Being aware of the cost of meetings will focus the mind and planning will focus your actions. Minutes to record actions agreed and responsibilities should be in a form that gives ease of follow-up and subsequent checking.

These are the hallmarks of successfully managed meetings:

• Meetings are planned ahead for who should attend and with the agenda and any useful papers being circulated in advance.
• Times for each item and the meeting itself are set in advance (and adhered to).
• Minutes are concise and action oriented (with responsibilities allocated).
• There is clarity of outcomes (shared by all).
• Meetings are reviewed continually for effectiveness.
• The focus is on the positive.
• You are a successful umpire and referee.