The Business Meeting Revisited: Waste of Time or Key Strategic Tool?
47583
Business
Oct 11, 2007
jackdeal
The Business Meeting Revisited: Waste of Time or Key Strategic Tool?
Few words bring such strong negative reactions as 'business meeting'. As companies analyze their meeting times against results they often throw up their hands in disgust and conclude that meetings are a waste of time and of no use. Not so fast. While it is true that not having a meeting may be better than having a bad meeting, it does not follow that the business meeting itself is to blame. No matter how good the idea, if those that execute the plan fail then the project itself fails. 'It's a bother, it's a pain, so little gets done, same old stuff, nothing ever happens, it's always a bore, it lasts too long, and all we do is sit and listen to one or two people drone on about the company's woes.' Whine, whine, whine. Case closed. And that's the most difficult part; overcoming apathy and boredom from employees and managers that are jaded after continued exposure to bad meetings. It makes starting a meeting difficult and gaining momentum from that meeting even more difficult. The best place to start is to determine what results you would like to have from the meeting. This will guide you in determining the agenda. The agenda should be written with a time allotted to each item. Meetings should rarely go over an hour especially if they start on time. Start exactly on time and you will ensure promptness at the next meeting. After each agenda item put the person responsible for reporting or moderating that agenda item so that someone 'owns' that agenda item. If you are starting business meetings make it a goal to spread the agenda items out to different meeting participants. The first agenda item should be something light and not nuts and bolts financial. I like to bring up items such as image and attitude here. The last agenda item should be the next meeting's time and place. Don't overload the agenda with too many items or too many heavy stress items if that is avoidable. If the business meeting becomes too negative it can dampen whatever enthusiasm it generates. Some agenda items can be 'rolled' over into the next agenda. Try to vary your agenda items for each meeting to keep the agenda fresh. That also means you should be discussing relevant and current topics. Plan your agenda to end on an upbeat note. You really want the last impression of the meeting to be a positive one. If the meeting ends on a sour note it will leave a sour taste. If participation is important try to get each person present in the meeting to say something. This may be difficult at large meetings but in smaller groups it creates the impression of being a part of the meeting. Meeting participation can be a goal itself. Some people tend to speak more than others so don't let one or two people do all the talking. Especially you. It is best to have a moderator or leader. This person is responsible for opening and closing the meeting as well as making certain the agenda moves along in a timely manner. It is possible to rotate moderators from meeting to meeting. This depends on the meeting participants, their capabilities and their willingness to participate. Do not expect too much change too fast. It has been my experience that it might take several months of weekly meetings to reach desired results. And it is best not to create unrealistic expectations up front as they may sabotage your efforts. It's OK to disagree and disagreements often make for excellent meetings. As the moderator, it is your job to maintain calm and control. If everyone is yawning a good disagreement might even wake them up. After each meeting do a self-evaluation on how the meeting went. What could have done better? What went right? What did not go as expected? And stay persistent. It is very hard to change either individual or group behavior and that's what meetings are mostly about. Some call it behavior modification but perhaps changing the range of behaviors is more appropriate. Some call it training or education. And sometimes it's art and sometimes it's science but seldom is it predictable. Often it doesn't always work as planned. If you have a bad meeting shrug it off and see how you can improve the next one. Also try to stay in the right frame of mind and perspective so you don't get frustrated too quickly. There is no right or wrong way to have a meeting; just ways that make meetings more effective. The best strategy to make your meeting effective is to open it up, do what it takes to get participation and work through a relevant and prioritized agenda. Go with your gut and don't be afraid of taking small risks to keep momentum. Even if you flop folks will see you are sincere and good things will happen. The results just might surprise you.
Jack D. Deal is the owner of Deal Business Consulting. Related articlesmay be found at http://www.jddeal.com and http://www.freeandinquiringmind.typepad.com
send email to jackdeal
Write a Review
Add to My Favorite
Refer it to Friend
Report Article
Other links owned by this user
Marketers are pure scum. Here is an instance of snake oil sleazebags trying to capitalize on citizen's patriotism.
Category:
Minimal employees are one of the primary reasons businesses fail. Don't let minimal employees destroy your company.
Category:
When California runs out of water, we can make it into one heck of a national park. Don't forget to bring your water bottles...
Category:
When I was a kid we used to dare, double dare and then double dog dare. Nobody googled.
Category:
The oft maligned business meeting is often ignored as a stategic management tool. Those that can do meetings well gain a competive advantage over that can't.
Category:
Jerks are everywhere and a diverse bunch at that. Why are jerks so irritating?
Category:
Even the smartest among us can veer off path and end up going down a path of utter stupidity.
Category:
It's true that beauty is in the eye of the beholder but sometimes deflecting focus away from ugliness actually makes one relatively prettier.
Category:
Successful companies go through the model, infrastructure, strategy and growth phases. Other companies don't.
Category:
The Return on Investment (ROI) for tradtional media marketing is going down. It is imperative that ownership and management take back control of their marketing initiatives.
Category:
Many of us boomers remember Howdy Doody and Charlie McCarthy, puppets from our childhood. Yet even though they were just puppets, they created a culture that even after many years we can still identify with.
Category:
We can never totally isolate ourselves from evil,risk, threat and bad things in general. Rather than worry about it we should get out and about and enjoy life and not be obsessed with creating a no risk environment. Besides, there is no such animal.
Category:
Third party marketing informational articles present your company in a positive light. This under utilized multi-use tool is equally powerful in both print and digital media.
Category:
World War I was the last war fought in the trenches. It was also the war of poison gas and inthinkable carnage shown in Grandpa's soldier's photo album. What did we learn?
Category:
A good Employee Manual can be your company's Human Resources in a box. Use it to grow.
Category:
Other links at Business
Chinese feng shui can be used in the home, but one does not sometimes understand that feng shui design can be incorporated into the office.
Category:
Mannatech Inc stands for success Supported by health and surrounded in hope and also secured with opportunities are the 3 foundations of the Mannatech Inc's spirit for both Associates and customers.
Category:
Businesses can't live without contracts. But it's often questionable how well we're living with them. What's hidden in the fine print in your filing cabinets can threaten the health of your organization.
Category:
DIY Accounting Payroll Software is unusually written on a series of excel spreadsheet templates, Three versions of the small business payroll system are available dependent upon the number of employees, being a payroll solution for up to 5 employees, up t
Category:
Site Sponsor
Directory Statistics
Articles: 68285
Categories: 501
Yahoo Entertainment
