The Golden Key to Meeting Success

Home
>
Business Management
>
The Golden Key to Meeting Success

The Golden Key to Meeting Success

We all attend many meetings. I'm sure you have been to some great meetings and some poor ones. Unfortunately for everyone I've ever talked to, the number of poor ones far outweighs the number of great ones.

The fact is that most meetings are too long, unfocused, too frustrating, and unproductive.

And yet meetings are a valuable way to gain collective understanding, buy-in, agreement, and consensus. They help us find better solutions and create cooperation, collaboration, colleagueship, and community.

Since meetings are necessary and can lead to important results, we need to figure out how to make more of them successful. I have helped and watched organizations create more effective meetings by doing several things, including teaching people how to use some basic roles, setting some expectations around meeting effectiveness, providing specific tools for people to use, improving the skills of those facilitating the meetings, and many more things.

Each of these things has a positive impact on meeting effectiveness and productivity. None of them individually has a more positive impact than one key ? what I call the Golden Key ? to meeting success.

The Golden Key

The Golden Key is determining the desired outcome(s) for the meeting.

Think about it. If you are going to have a meeting, inviting 2 or more (often many more) people to join you, shouldn't you be clear on what you want to accomplish? And shouldn't all of the other people you are inviting be equally clear?

Unfortunately, all too often this isn't the case, and this lack of clear focus on the end goal leads to inefficiency and frustration.

Planning Your Meeting

Once you have determined that a meeting is needed, you need to determine the desired outcome(s) for your meeting. Do that by asking yourself questions like:

? What do I want to leave the meeting with?

? What will describe a completely successful meeting?

Or more directly,

? What is the desired outcome of this meeting?

There may be just one, or for a longer or more complex meeting there may be several. Get down these ideas down on a piece of paper or on your computer screen. Then, take the time to craft these ideas into very specific noun/verb, past tense statements, like:

? Budget reviewed.

? Options identified.

? Decision made.

? Next step determined.

? Action plan finalized.

You get the idea.

Once you have written your desired outcome statement(s) you can include them with whatever agenda format you use and communicate these to everyone who will be attending the meeting.

If you haven't done this planning before the meeting starts, determining these desired outcomes is the first order of business for your meeting.

How Does The Golden Key Unlock Better Meetings?

Desired outcomes provide focus and clarity. By given everyone a common understanding of what the meeting will accomplish (rather than the "topics" that will be "covered"), you will experience more effectiveness, fewer side conversation and fewer personal agendas.

It is as simple as giving people a common goal. When they have the common goal, progress will be much faster ? and more often within the planned timeline for the meeting.

The value of stating them in noun/verb past tense form is to make them as free of ambiguity as possible, and when the statements are written this way, it is clear when the objective has been met. (How many times have you been in a meeting discussing a topic that goes longer than most want or need it to because one person still has something to say about that topic? With a clear outcome stated, this situation can be largely avoided.)

Meetings are complex, populated by complex human beings. Because this is true no single thing will make every meeting perfect (or even close). Having said that, the single best thing you can do to ensure more successful meetings is to state the outcomes you want to achieve before the meeting starts.

That is why desired outcomes are the Golden Key. They will unlock the door to greater productivity, less frustration, and more enjoyment from the collaboration that meetings are supposed to provide.

Kevin Eikenberry is a leadership expert and the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group (http://KevinEikenberry.com), a learning consulting company. To receive a free Special Report on leadership that includes resources, ideas, and advice go to http://www.kevineikenberry.com/leadership.asp or call us at (317) 387-1424 or 888.LEARNER.

In The News:

Yahoo! News: Top Stories

Job losses stack up as recession deepens (AP)

AP - Trying to survive a deepening recession, employers are cutting their work forces to the bone, leaving more Americans unemployed and with dim prospects of finding a new job any time soon.

Illinois House on verge of impeaching Blagojevich (AP)

AP - Gov. Rod Blagojevich faces almost certain impeachment by the Illinois House, a historic step that would trigger a trial to determine whether the Democratic governor should be tossed out of office.

Rifts show as Obama urges quick action on stimulus (AP)

AP - Lawmakers are under orders to finish action on President-elect Barack Obama's nearly $800 billion economic recovery plan by mid-February. But already it is plain that a set of serious fissures need to be bridged if the bill is to be completed within five weeks.

Israel to continue offensive despite UN resolution (AP)

AP - Israeli jets and helicopters bombarded Gaza Friday and Hamas responded with a barrage of rockets, as Israel's government said it will press forward with its offensive despite a U.N. resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

Obama to finalize national security team Friday (AP)

AP - President-elect Barack Obama is completing his national security team by announcing his unusual choices for CIA director and a national intelligence director who may face tough Senate confirmation questioning over how he confronted the Indonesian military when civilian massacres were occurring in East Timor.

Stocks point lower ahead of employment report (AP)

AP - Investors showed nervousness Friday ahead of the government's monthly employment report, sending stock futures moderately lower.

Democrats begin new session with labor bills (AP)

AP - Democrats are ushering in what they believe will be a new labor-friendly era in Washington with House votes on two bills aimed at helping women fight pay discrimination in the workplace.

Broadcasts to mobile devices to start in 22 cities (AP)

AP - TV stations in 22 U.S. cities announced Thursday that they will start broadcasting their signals this year in a format designed to be received by mobile devices like cell phones, MP3 players, GPS units and in-car entertainment systems.

Ex-'Sopranos' actor faces prison for burglary try (AP)

AP - A former actor on "The Sopranos" faces up to 15 years in prison for a botched burglary in the Bronx in which an accomplice shot and killed a police officer.

Tebow leads Fla. past Okla. 24-14 for BCS title (AP)

AP - Tim Tebow gave Florida the jolt it needed, and the Gators toughed out a second BCS title in three years. Their 24-14 win over No. 2 Oklahoma in a choppy, sloppy affair Thursday night made them a national champion.

World waits on jobs data as recession weighs (Reuters)

Reuters - Steep falls in European industrial output underlined the severity of the world economic crisis on Friday and more grim news was on the way with the United States expected to report the biggest monthly job cuts in more than 30 years.

U.N. calls for immediate Gaza truce (Reuters)

Reuters - Israel pushed ahead with its two-week-old offensive in the Gaza Strip on Friday, defying a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire.

Panel steps up criticism of Treasury: report (Reuters)

Reuters - A report being released on Friday alleges that the U.S. Treasury has failed to reveal its strategy for stabilizing the financial system, not answered questions asked by a government watchdog, and has done nothing to help struggling homeowners, the Wall Street Journal said.

Obama team working on overhaul of financial rescue (Reuters)

Reuters - U.S. President-elect Barack Obama's economic team is working on an overhaul the $700 billion financial rescue program with the aim of doing more to spur the flow of credit to the struggling economy, an Obama aide said on Friday.

EU seeks gas supply return after deal on monitors (Reuters)

Reuters - Russia's state-controlled gas monopoly said a deal to monitor gas exports via Ukraine would be signed on Friday, allowing for the resumption of supplies to Europe cut off by Moscow's price row with Kiev.

Citi backs measure to help avoid foreclosures (Reuters)

Reuters - Financial giant Citigroup Inc will support a proposal in Congress to rewrite U.S. bankruptcy law to help troubled mortgage borrowers avoid foreclosure, Chief Executive Vikram Pandit said on Thursday.

Illinois panel recommends governor's impeachment (Reuters)

Reuters - A legislative committee on Thursday recommended the impeachment of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, citing widespread abuse of power including allegations he tried to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.

Health care overhaul needn't break bank: study (Reuters)

Reuters - An analysis of proposals to overhaul U.S. health care by President-elect Barack Obama and members of Congress suggests it is possible to insure all Americans without significantly raising total health spending.

Israel presses on with Gaza strikes despite UN resolution (AFP)

AFP - Israel battered Gaza with bombs and shells on Friday, vowing its offensive on Hamas would go on despite an order by the UN Security Council to stop the assault that has killed hundreds of civilians.

Russia hopeful of resuming Europe gas supplies (AFP)

AFP - Russian gas deliveries to Europe could resume later Friday, the head of Russia's state gas firm said, raising hopes for an end to a transit dispute with Ukraine that has left several European states without gas at a moment of bitter cold.

The Golden Key to Meeting Success

Business Management Business Management