Meeting to Influence: Effective Meeting Tips
a.
A meeting is a communication situation and an
opportunity for influence just like other business communication situations.
b.
Therefore, to exert influence effectively, a
meeting must follow many of the same basic principles for any influential
message.
1.
A meeting is a means of influence.
Briefings should tacitly persuade members that the information is valuable.
Brainstorming sessions should give members confidence in the outcome.
2.
Meeting effectiveness depends in part on
ethos. All group members should behave in a way that builds the perception
of their character, knowledge and goodwill.
3.
Meeting effectiveness depends in part on the
culture of the organization. A culture that is lax and does not respect
time will affect a meeting.
4.
Meetings respond to a
rhetorical situation.
When planning a meeting, leaders should consider the audience, topic and
situation.
5.
As
with any strategic communication,
restraint
is critical in a meeting. Take a disciplined approach to meetings so that
everything in the meeting works toward the purpose. Don’t wander.
6.
A key strategic element of every meeting is
time. Use time carefully and with respect to accomplish your purpose.
7.
Meetings need a clear purpose. Don’t
meet just to meet. Once the purpose is accomplished, quit.
8.
Meetings should address key
issues.
These will arise from the members of the group as well as from the subjects.
Just as with a presentation, a meeting that does not address the key issues
will be unsatisfying at best.
See Matson (1996, April/May). “The seven
sins of deadly meetings,” Fast Company,
pp 123-128 for specific phrasing and detail.
Sin #1: People don’t take meetings
seriously. They arrive late, leave early, and spend most of their time
doodling.
Salvation: Adopt
Intel’s mind-set that meetings are real work.
Sin #2: Meetings are too long.
They should accomplish twice as much in half the time.
Salvation: Time
is money. Track the cost of your meetings and use computer-enabled simultaneity
to make them more productive.
Sin #3: People wander off the
topic. Participants spend more time digressing than discussing.
Salvation: Get
serious about agendas and store distractions in a “parking lot.” It’s the
starting point for all advice on productive meetings: stick to the agenda. But
it’s hard to stick to an agenda that doesn’t exist, and most meetings in most
companies are decidedly agenda-free. “In the real world,” says Schrage, “agendas
are about as rare as the white rhino. If they do exist, they’re about as
useful. Who hasn’t been in meetings where someone tries to prove that the
agenda isn’t appropriate?”
Sin #4: Nothing happens once the
meeting ends. People don’t convert decisions into action.
Salvation:
Convert from “meeting” to “doing” and focus on common documents.
Sin #5: People don’t tell the
truth. There’s plenty of conversation, but not much candor.
Salvation:
Embrace anonymity.
Sin #6: Meetings are always
missing important information, so they postpone critical decisions.
Salvation: Get
data, not just furniture, into meeting rooms.
Sin #7: Meetings never get better.
People make the same mistakes.
Salvation:
Practice makes perfect. Monitor what works and what doesn’t and hold people
accountable.
a.
Create a culture that support
effective decisions—in and out of meetings. Reward accountability and
timeliness.
b.
Decide on a purpose and stick to it.
c.
Craft the meeting environment—place, time,
people, topics, resources, etc—to accomplish the purpose.
d.
View meetings as “doing” not “talking.” Do something with a meeting.
e.
Make the meeting stick. Follow up on action
items.
f.
Respect time.
4.
Before a meeting . . .
1.
Why is this meeting necessary? What will
it accomplish? Do we even need a meeting at all?
i.
Know
you purpose form the start.
ii. You
may have multiple purposes.
1.) To decide how to handle late payments.
2.) To determine who will write the report to senior management
regarding late fee policies.
3.) To generate possible solutions for late payment problems.
iii. If
you don’t have a clear purpose, or if you can accomplish it without a meeting, don’t
have the meeting.
2.
What topics does the meeting need to
cover to accomplish the purpose?
i.
Multiple
purposes may require different topics.
ii. Use
these purposes to frame the agenda.
iii. Also,
decide what background information members will need to accomplish the meeting’s
purpose.
3.
How will the meeting accomplish the
purpose?
i.
Just
as a presenter must choose among the appropriate means of persuasion, a meeting
planner must choose the best means to accomplish the purpose and cover the
topics.
ii. Choose
the method that will best accomplish the purpose:
1.) convey information?
2.) have an open discussion?
3.) make decision(s)?
4.) brainstorm new ideas?
5.) or have a combination of the types?
iii. Another
part of “how” is how long does the meeting need to be to accomplish the
purpose. Use time carefully.
iv. If
you decide you can accomplish your purpose in a brief time--5 minutes—try a “standing
meeting” to keep things moving and make the best use of the time.
4.
Who needs to attend the meeting to
accomplish the purpose?
i.
If
you invite too few people, those who come will waste their time.
ii. If
you invite too many people, some members may feel unnecessary or too many
digressions will prevent the meeting from accomplishing its purpose.
5.
When and Where will the meeting be held to
best accomplish the purpose?
i.
The
place and time of the meeting are basic issues that should be addressed early.
ii. Choose
a time that will best help accomplish the purpose.
1.) Don’t
schedule meetings too close to lunch or the end of the day.
2.) 10 am and 2 pm
tend to be optimal times, with the morning being better.
1.
The
agenda functions as the structure of the meeting.
2.
The
agenda may vary according to the type of meeting and the situation. Some
agendas may need to be more detailed and formal.
3.
All
agendas should list the following:
i.
Meeting
start time
ii. Meeting
end time
iii. Meeting
location
iv. Topic
headings
v. Include
some topic detail for each heading
vi. Indicate
the time each topic is expected to last
vii. Indicate which
meeting participants are expected to be the main topic participants
4.
Be
sure to assign an amount of time for each item on the agenda—even if it
tentative.
5.
Arrange
the agenda items in a clear pattern.
1.
Are
the seating arrangements conducive to discussion?
2.
Is
the equipment working?
3.
Are
the refreshments prepared?
5.
During the meeting . . . .
1.
You’re
a facilitator, not an orator.
2.
If
this is a formal meeting of an organization, you may have to begin it in the
usual parliamentary fashion:
i.
Call
to order
ii. Review
of the minutes of the previous meeting
iii. Report
from any committees or officers scheduled
iv. Review of old business (considerations carrying over from the
previous meeting) 5. New business (new resolutions and considerations)
3.
Even
if the meeting is informal, the leader should still begin with an introduction
that accomplishes many of the same functions of an introduction we’ve already
covered.
i.
Get
attention—can be implied or brief.
ii. Announce
purpose
iii. Announce
the length of the meeting (and stick to it).
iv. Give
reason for meeting
v. Establish
ground rules for the meeting, if necessary.
vi. Build
ethos—usually nonverbally. Be sure to convey confidence and goodwill.
vii. Give preview of
agenda. Don’t just list the topics—explain how they relate to the purpose(s).
4.
Start
on time. If the group is late, start without some of the folks and make it
clear that you are sticking to your schedule out of respect for everyone’s
time. Be careful how you phrase
corrective statements like this. Don’t focus on your interests or the companies interest or the clock—focus instead on making the
best use of everyone’s time.
5.
Whatever
the situation, begin the meeting crisply and clearly. Your group will thank you
for your sense of organization and your respect for their time.
1.
As you lead the meeting, show respect for the participants by
showing respect for time. Stay on track.
i.
However,
remember that “man was not made for the agenda.” In other words, if a topic
needs more time than you’ve allotted or more than you have for the meeting,
alter the agenda, schedule another meeting or ask the members permission to
modify the time limit. Asking for a change can be a rhetorical question—you don’t
always need to poll the members. Often group decisions can be made by what is
called in parliamentary circles “unanimous consent”—“If no one minds, we’ll
extend the meeting for another 15 minutes to consider the issues you folks have
raised.”
ii. Tactfully
eliminate side conversations
iii. Use a
timekeeper to keep on track
2.
Provide a sense
of structure as you progress.
As with any oral message, give internal summaries, internal previews and
transitions. In a meeting, this will often mean summarizing what others have
said.
i.
A
summary from a leader does several things for a group:
1.) It
shows them you are a fair leader, summarizing both sides of a dispute cleanly;
2.) It
gently reminds them to finish off a particular point and move on;
3.) It
catches up members whose minds have drifted off to other matters; and,
4.) If
well done, it can push a group to a decision.
ii. Don’t
be afraid to take notes to make summaries accurate and well structured.
iii. Tie
down the key facts, generalizations, and cause-effect relationships.
i.
The
leader may need to fill out the factual picture, go after a particularly
obvious causal relationship no one has mentioned, or intrude an evaluative
perspective needing consideration, etc.
ii. Instead
of engaging in long monologues, try to draw out the missing information,
relationship, or value from the participants, if possible. Tact is
all-important; if you’re going to make a statement, you might even want to ask
the group’s permission.
i.
Don’t
fall into the trap of postponing the real meeting to some smaller group
after the big meeting; “Brendan, I’ll get with you afterwards to take care of
that.”
ii. Postponing
the real work to some other, smaller meeting is the reason many people feel
meetings are a waste of time—nothing important ever happens.
iii. If a
leader frequently off-loads decisions to other meetings, he has not properly
defined the agenda, the people, the time or the purpose.
iv. A
leader who repeatedly off-loads decisions damages his ethos and appears
incompetent.
v. If
you find that you have an issue that cannot be handled in the meeting because
of time or confidentiality, deal with it in a formal way. Take note of it and
include it as an off-agenda item to be addressed later in your summary at the
end of the meeting. This approach will demonstrate your competence and won't
appear sloppy or sneaky.
i.
If
the meeting is more than about 10 people, designate and use someone as a
recorder.
ii. Make
sure the recorder understands what to record and how to record it
iii. Document
decisions and actions as soon as they are made
i.
All
methods for handling conflict are applicable here:
1.) Depersonalize
the conflict.
2.) Use
outside authorities to undercut positions.
3.) Try
to get the participants in the melee to settle it themselves.
4.) Refer
to the need for dispatch.
ii. Conflict
can be creative and can lead to group-generated agreements.
iii. Conflict
is absolutely necessary for testing ideas and exploring positions, feelings,
and proposals.
iv. If it
becomes dominant and personalized, conflict can destroy a group.
v. The
skillful leader watches-
1.) watches to see if it’s getting too bloody;
2.) watches noncombatants to see if they are getting bored,
scared, or frustrated;
3.) watches the clock.
vi. Then
the leader moves in gingerly. Go to harsher measures only if the combatants won’t
quit. Try to slow down the dominating individuals and more equitably spread the
communicative load. Reprimand if necessary, but only in the name of the group
itself.
i.
There
are some general hints that you can use to keep things moving smoothly:
1.) Establish
ground rules ahead of time
2.) Offer
to talk over tangential questions, issues, etc., off line. Record these topics
and be sure to address them.
3.) Remind
participants that they are responsible for meeting progress
4.) If
necessary, post ground rules where everyone in the meeting can see
5.) If
necessary, write ground rules on the distributed agenda
6.) If
necessary, use a sergeant-at-arms who will keep people politely in line
7.)
If necessary, discuss poor behavior calmly, but
forcefully AFTER meeting
1.
Provide
a conclusion that function as a conclusion for any oral message.
i.
Summarize
the topics covered. Be sure to include any off-agenda issues raised.
ii. Restate
the original purpose.
iii. Provide
closure by listing next steps and those responsible.
2.
End
on a positive note.
6.
After the meeting . . . .
a.
Too many leaders forget their post-meeting
responsibilities.
b.
Some duties may be limited to more formal
meetings:
1.
courtesies—thank-you notes to the parliamentarian, for
example
2.
paying bills if hall rental and catering were involved
c.
However, the meeting’s influence will be dulled
if the leaders do not take appropriate post-meeting actions.
1.
Prepare
and distribute approved meeting minutes ASAP after the meeting
2.
Follow-up
to make sure assigned tasks are on target.
