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May 31, 2018*As originally seen on Forbes.com
Do you hate meetings? How many times have you sat in a meeting knowing this all could have been handled in an email, phone call or text? Having inefficient meetings is costly. They waste time that could have been spent focusing on high-value activities and moving the needle. Think about how much could be accomplished and how much closer you could move towards your goals if your time was spent wisely as opposed to sitting in endless, inefficient meetings.
Meetings are the thing that everyone loves to hate, but they don’t have to be. Imagine what it would mean for you and your team if we could do meetings more effectively.
Are you wasting precious time in useless meetings?
When we are in the meeting, we want to make decisions. When we get out of the meeting, we want to be executing. To achieve this goal, communication is key.
There are six types of communication that we see all the time.
- Decision Making and Debating
- Promises
- Requests
- Point Proving
- Info Sharing
- Sharing Oneself
Only two of these drive results: requests and promises.
Only 2 of the 6 types of communication drive results: requests and promises.
What Makes A Meeting Inefficient?
Have you noticed that your meetings aren’t working or there are just too many of them? Inefficient meetings typically involve the following elements:
- Ineffective communication: a lot of info sharing and point proving with very little requests and promises
- Everyone is invited: there are people in the room that have nothing to do with the purpose of the meeting and there isn’t a clear meeting leader to drive the meeting
- Intention: there is no clear intention, tight time-lined agenda or materials to review that are sent in advance, no one knows why they are there or what the purpose of the meeting
- Recap: overlooking sending a recap email post-meeting to remind people of what was achieved and what still needs to be done
Think about your team. What are their most common communication types? Do they communicate appropriately for the time of meeting they are at? These are huge factors in the difference between conducting inefficient meetings and smart meetings.
Are you ready to have meetings that are streamlined with high follow through?
Start Having Smart Meetings
Effective communication creates an environment where smart meetings are the norm. Requests and promises to honor those requests, some lively debate and decision making are present and create the momentum to move the needle. How is this accomplished?
- Set the meeting’s intention in advance: what exactly do you want to accomplish?
- Invite the doers, decision makers and impacted parties only.
- Have a clear meeting leader and tight time-lined agenda.
- Send a recap email of all responsibilities post-meeting.
Successful meetings always have an agenda and intention and ensure our team doesn’t feel that they are wasting their time. Making meetings matter locks in the desired outcome.
Make Meetings Matter
For teams to collaborate well, an individual has to know their strengths and know that their strengths are valued. When we are in a meeting we want the truth. There is no judgment or blame. We want to listen to the essences and we don’t want to argue with examples. We want to listen to what people are really asking for. We want to risk and have the courage to say what needs to be said. We want to focus on what is the purpose of this meeting and all extraneous topics need to be moved out. There are three types of meetings that foster optimal environments for that to occur.
Makeover your meetings so you’re optimizing your time.
- Why Meetings: Strategy & Mission: The priority is focus and the method is debating and decision making
- What Meetings: Brainstorming: The priority is clarity and the method is info sharing
- How Meetings: Implementing: The priority is accountability and the method is promises and requests
We need the results and priority of our meetings to create intrinsic motivation towards achieving a common goal.
The Net-Net
- Efficient and effective meetings
- Reduced frustration and boredom
- An engaged team that is executing with high accountability
Are you ready to stop having stupid meetings and start reaping the benefits of smart meetings?
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