Conducting Meetings with Purpose and Passion: A Vital Communication Skill for All of Us

Clear, concise, and intentional communication is at the heart of all human relationships and interactions, be they personal or professional. How communication takes place is as important as the fact that communication is taking place. It isn’t “if” we communicate; rather, “how” we do so.

 

Where do meetings fit into the mix? They are a communication tool in the workplace that we all overuse. Yet, when done correctly, meetings can be an effective vehicle for communication.

As with so much in life, defining what doesn’t work will lead to discovering what does, or could work, and how to do so.

In Paul Axtell’s Harvard Business Review 2018 article, “5 Common Complaints About Meetings and What to Do About Them,” he lists:

• One or two people dominate the conversation and no one does anything about it.
• My boss doesn’t lead meetings effectively.
• Most of our meetings are just passing along information that could easily be sent in an email. We don’t talk about real issues.
• No one is paying attention because they’re on their phones or laptops.
• We keep having the same conversations because nothing gets done between meetings.

 

From my own trainings and coaching, I would expand upon the complaints and add the following:

• My boss isn’t prepared. Why did she call the meeting anyway?
• The wrong people are here. Only the bigwigs, and they don’t do the work.
• There are so many meetings, I can’t get my work done.
• The meetings drag on and on and on. Get me out of here!

Mr. Axtell’s solutions are in his article. My “tried and true” recommendations that I found work, include:

1. “Begin with the end in mind,” (one of Stephen Covey’s seven habits). This requires the person who is calling the meeting to:

1. • Be strategic: define the purpose and plan for the outcomes of the meeting.
     • If it’s information dissemination only, send it out electronically.
     • Use the email subject line purposefully: “Important Information about New Guidelines on xxxxx. Questions?”
     • Determine whether the meeting leader has the skills to accomplish the balance of the recommendations. If not, consider a trained meeting facilitator – either internal or external.
   • Check to see what other meetings are planned in the organization and schedule the meeting to ensure all who need to be there can participate and that there haven’t already been too many meetings set for the same time frame.
   • Prepare a timed agenda and send out a draft at least 48 hours in advance.
   • Invite those to the meeting with the skill sets to accomplish the planned for outcomes.
   • Ask those with vital information to make brief (5-minute) presentations.
   • Send out the final agenda at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting.
   • (The meeting facilitator) Ensures the meeting’s objectives are met within the time frame allotted.

2. Commence the meeting with:

1. • An agenda review
   • Ground rules, such as:
     • One person at a time
     • All participate.
     • “Be brief, be brilliant, be gone.”
     • Meeting leader (or facilitator) to (nicely) enforce ground rules.
     • If the meeting is virtual, pictures up and stay engaged: texts and email responses after the meeting (if one hour) or during breaks only (if two or more hours)
     • If in person, stay engaged: texts and email responses after the meeting (if one hour) or during breaks only (if two or more hours)
   • Identify the roles each meeting attendee will play, including who will send out minutes with a brief recap and focus on the next steps and deliverables – what date, who is the responsible party, etc.

3. Adopt organization-wide meeting ground rules, such as:

1. • “Meetless” days of the week, e.g. meetings only on Tuesdays and Fridays. All other days “meet-less”
   • Most meetings are to be held for one hour or less.
   • Information only to be sent out electronically.
   • Only those with the requisite skill sets to achieve the meetings’ objectives will be required to attend. Others interested may participate. However, if they want to speak, they need to get advanced approval from the leader or facilitator.

In conclusion, meetings should be purposeful with stated outcomes. Those who will do the work should be invited, and timed agendas should go out in advance. Dispense with information-only meetings in favor of electronic dissemination.

Does this sound difficult? It will take practice and discipline. Initially, this means leaders should follow the two-for-one rule: it should take twice as much time for meeting preparation as it does for the time allotted for the meeting.

Is it worth it? It’s always easier just to “wing it.”

Before you say no, consider this: Harvard research found that 70% of meetings keep employees from doing productive work. The same study also shows that cutting back meetings by 40% increases productivity by 70%, with a corresponding increase in employee satisfaction of 52%. (More on this in my June 2023 blog. Find it here.)

Yes, it is worth it!

Want to transform your meetings into efficient and purposeful sessions? Download “Mastering Meetings in the Modern Workplace” now to discover practical strategies to maximize productivity and boost employee satisfaction! Find it here.

 

Photo by Product School on Pexels.