What are meetings:
meetings are the coming together of multiple people for a common purpose.
What are GREAT meetings:
- the best meetings are like stories – they are an experience!
- they are full of characters with specific points of view influenced by different histories and contexts
- they have a plot – someone is trying to get something
- they have drama/conflicts – situations that need to be resolved – you need to mine for this in the meeting; if we all agree then there really is no reason to meet
- they require resolution
- the author is responsible for setting the hook and laying out the scenes to allow the story to play out
- TIME SAVERS – “provide opportunities to improve execution by accelerating decision-making and eliminate need to revisit issues again and again; also reduce subtle and unnecessarily repetitive motion and communication within the organization”
Underlying Problems Leading to Ineffective Meetings: (Death by Meeting – Lencioni)
Lack of Drama – leader can use “real-time permission” to minimize discomfort and maximize the likelihood that maximum conflict can continue
Lack of Contextual Structure – the tendency to throw every single thing to discuss into one meeting (“Meeting Stew”) – different meetings for different purposes will produce results based on expectations
Types of Meetings: #
Decisions
Synthesis: convergent thinking; establish a direction for next steps; seek consensus but someone needs to make a decision to move forward
Decision: we need an answer to continue; identify the decision maker ahead of the meeting
Review: specific feedback meeting where you – or your work – are evaluated by a supervisor and getting direction
Hybrid
Check in / Coaching: get information to help you align your work expectations and/or overcome a challenge on your work, with others, or in your own development
Feedback: make it better; get input from people with different viewpoints; seek consensus, but the one seeking the feedback needs to determine how to apply the feedback to the next iteration
No Decisions
Informational: direction; download; same page
Ideation: divergent thinking; explore opportunities
Team Building: to help the team grow in understanding of each other to increase trust and deliver better outcomes
Synchronous Meetings
Pros:
- “reading the room” and picking up on body language (Even if on a virtual platform it should be required to have cameras turned on.)
- there is back and forth discussion among participants
- the moderator has a better ability to control the discussion and keep focus on the necessary information
- a decision and/or next steps can be clearly articulated and agreed to real-time by all participants
Cons
- requires participants to be available at the same time
- time is limited to the blocked out meeting time
- produce minutes after the meeting
Asynchronous Meetings
Pros:
- not necessary for everyone to be available at the same time
- more time for feedback
- feedback is visible/recorded
- others can expand on or challenge feedback
- all participants have an equal chance to have their voice heard
- more Intentional thoughts
Cons:
- requires participants to know how to use the technology
- organizers must establish clarity to get appropriate feedback
- where to find the items to review
- what feedback is requested
- how should feedback be given
- the deadline for giving feedback
- If it is not an event on a calendar then it is harder to “schedule” the appropriate time
- harder to know when “the meeting is over”
- resolution is not always clear
- no human connection: bit more challenging for 3rd way
Meeting Must Haves #
- Clarity of type and decision
- Roll call
- The why – clear objective
- Humor/Light heartedness
- Underlying structure or agenda
- Punctuality – start and finish
- Time and space for everyone
- Confirmation of objective
- Resolution
- Recap
- Next steps
- Minutes
Considerations #
- the attitudes and approaches of people who lead meetings are responsible for the outcomes of the meeting
- does the meeting need to be synchronous?
- the best meetings occur when participants come prepared to discuss – instead of trying to understand new information during the meeting and formulating an opinion on the spot
- promote this by completing the materials at least 1 day before and sending out materials for review prior to the meeting
- record the meeting/feedback real-time if possible (Zoom recording, real-time updates/notes, or utilize FigJam or other interactive apps for participation)
- the meeting can end before the scheduled end time – when the objective has been met, however the dialogue needs to be controlled to make sure that the meeting ends no later than the scheduled time