5 disciplines for productive meetings › images › downloads › heartland_independence_… · 5...

Tom Schulte

5 Disciplines for More Productive Meetings

ESTIMATED AVERAGE WASTE:

• Most employees attend 62 meetings monthly

• They consider half the time spent at meetings a waste

• 31 hours are spent in unproductive meetings over a month

• $37 Billion in salary cost of unnecessary meetings for U.S. businesses

Meetings

A collaborative study by Microsoft,

America Online and Salary.com

concluded:

• The average worker actually worked only 3 days per week

• The study identified that the rest of the working time was “wasted,” with unproductive meetings heading the list.

Meetings

According to a Clarizen/Harris survey:

• 40% of employees think status update meetings waste valuable time

• 70 % say these meetings don’t help them get any work done

• 67% say they are spending up to 4 hours per week getting ready for their next status update meeting.

Meetings

According to a survey by Office Team, a

division of Robert Half International:

• 45% of senior executives surveyed said that their employees would be more productive if their firms banned meetings for a least one day a week

Meetings

In a survey reported in Industry Week:

• 2000 managers claimed that at least 30% of their time spent in meetings were a waste of time

According to a 3M Meeting Network

survey of executives:

• 25-50 percent of the time people spend in meetings is wasted

Meetings

– What’s causing the waste?

ACTIVITY (Groups of 3-4)

Meetings

Discuss as a group your answers/thoughts/ideas to this question:

1. Getting off the subject

2. No goals or agenda

3. Too lengthy

4. Poor or inadequate preparation

5. Indecisive

6. Disorganized

7. Ineffective leadership/lack of control

8. Irrelevance of information discussed

9. Time wasted during meetings

10. Starting late

11. Decisions not made

Responses from study of 1,305 managers and professionals

12. Interruptions

13. Individuals dominate the discussion

14. Rambling, redundant, or digressive discussion

15. No published results or follow up actions

16. Meetings too large/too many

17. Too much information presented

18. Poor attitudes by participants

19. Lack of participation

– What’s causing the waste? Meetings

– What’s causing the waste? 5 DISCIPLINES for More Productive Meetings

Meetings are…

… still needed to make plans, solve problems,

get ideas, communicate information, etc.

… still necessary to keep a business viable

… something YOU have the ability to improve!

… can be made more effective by applying a

few simple steps

Meetings

Plan the Meeting

Design a Plan

5 DISCIPLINES for More Productive Meetings

Implementation Details

2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

1.

Execute the Decisions

Desired Outcome

We would never dream of doing anything

of any importance without careful planning.

Meetings should be no different!

http://openclipart.org/people/gsagri04/Rmx_Notes.svg

Think Through: • “What issues need to be addressed?”

• “What specifically do I want to accomplish with each objective?” (i.e. Get Agreement, Group Problem Solving, Training,

Gain Support, To Decide, To Inform, Get Ideas, etc.)

• “Are there other team members who should contribute items to the agenda?”

• “Can any of these objectives be accomplished another way?” (i.e. phone, email, memo, etc.)

a) Define the purpose and clear objective(s) for this meeting


IMPORTANT TO NOTE!

Most meetings are not really just ONE meeting.

Most meetings are a designated period of time

filled with a series of MINI MEETINGS …each with

it’s own distinct topic, objective and purpose.

That is why a clear AGENDA is vital

Plan the Meeting

b) Develop an effective MEETING AGENDA

• The Agenda needs to be the detailed plan of what the group will achieve in the time period they will be meeting

• Each Agenda Item needs to include:

- The person responsible to lead that item

- The time allocated for each item

- The clear objective/desired outcome

- The method to be used to accomplish the objective

• Arrange the Agenda Items in a logical order and add the opening and closing meeting essentials Items


Agenda Item Facilitator: Steve Petersen Time Allowed: 25 Min

Objective: Create more effective safety procedures on changeovers.

Method: Steve will review the current procedure line by line and facilitate a brainstorming of ideas/opinions on changes that will make the process safer. This discussion will lead to agreements on the changes needed and an action plan for the successful implementation of those changes to all involved in the changeover procedure.

EXAMPLE

Plan the Meeting

• Review last meeting’s minutes

• Review this meeting’s timed agenda item objectives

• Carry out the planned agenda items

• Summarize the decisions made and action items assigned

• Evaluate the meeting for improvement (“What can we do to make our next meeting more effective?”)

AGENDA (With Opening and Closing Items)


c) Determine who needs to attend the meeting to help accomplish the objectives

Think through:

• “What team members/stakeholders need to be involved in the planned agenda items?

• “Is there an outside subject matter expert who is needed for any of the agenda items?”

• “Who is not needed at this meeting?”


Plan the Meeting

d) Decide the meeting date/time and reserve a room with appropriate set up and equipment

Think through:

• “What is a convenient time for all stakeholders?” (9:00am

and 3:00pm are good brain times)

• “What equipment is needed for the agenda items we will be working on?” (Flipchart, Projector & Screen, etc.)

• “How big a room will I need and what will be the most useful set-up?”

Plan the Meeting


e) Distribute the agenda, preparation instructions and needed supporting materials to participants prior to the meeting

Think through: • “How far in advance of the meeting do the attendees

need to have the Agenda to prepare?”

• “What additional materials could I send that would help them prepare?”


Plan the Meeting

a) Begin on time (Shut the door and don’t review what has happened

with those who are late)

b) Assign a “scribe” to record decisions made and action items assigned

c) Go over any “ground rules” needed to run an efficient meeting (No cell phone use – No side conversations – Stay on the topic – Don’t interrupt – Listen to others to understand – Be respectful of others, etc.)

d) Review minutes of previous meeting (1st

agenda item)

e) Review each Agenda item, objectives and times allocated to set a goal for the meeting (2

ndagenda item)

Starting the Meeting


Facilitating the Meeting

#1 Use of the AGENDA

The AGENDA is the meeting plan … follow it!

Make it a visible tool throughout the meeting

Use the item’s objective to refocus the group

Make people aware of the time left on an item

Ask the right questions:

“What do we need to do to finish this agenda item?”

“How will that decision help us meet our objective?”

“Who will take care of this as an action item?”

“Are we ready to move on to our next agenda item?”


Good Facilitators succeed by effectively using 3 powerful

“Tools of the Trade”

#2 Use of the FLIPCHART

Don’t know what to do next? … Pick up a marker and go to the flipchart

Use flipchart to record ideas/discussions points

Use to give focus to the discussion

Makes ideas visual

Use to resolve conflict of opinions

Draw the portrait of our discussion/project

Ask the right questions:

“What ideas do you have?

“How is that idea different than this one we recorded?”

“What are the pros and cons of each of these?”

“Would we say that we can eliminate this as an option?”

“Do we have agreement on this decision?”





#3 MANAGE the DYNAMICS

Ask the right questions: Differences create “synergy”

… but also “challenges”

Maintain a safe, open, supportive environment

Manage the partnerships conflicts & disruptions

Full participation is the goal

Remain cool and neutral

“Does anyone see it differently?”

“Why do you feel so strongly about that idea?”

“How will that effect our meeting the objective?”

“(Name), what are your thoughts about this?”

“What questions do you have about this?”





Concluding the Meeting

a) Summarize the output/results of the meeting (5th

agenda item) - The outcomes of each agenda item (decisions made)

- The action items assigned

b) Set the date and time of next meeting

c) Set preliminary agenda items (next steps)

d) Evaluate the effectiveness of the meeting (4th

agenda item)

- “What can we do to make our next meeting more effective?”


Follow-up after the Meeting

a) Consolidate and distribute the meetings minutes to all participants and other stakeholders

b) Follow-up on action items

c) Begin to plan the next meetings Agenda.


Step 1

Step 2

Step 3 Step 4

Step 5


What QUESTIONS

do you have?

1

st

Question:

Those are great ideas Tom but…

WHAT IF IT ISN’T MY MEETING?


5 disciplines for productive meetings › images › downloads › heartland_independence_… · 5...

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