Meetings, meetings and more meetings….. we all know we either organise them or attend them more than we should. How often are you asked to attend a meeting or send a diary invite to get others to attend?
A recent Microsoft Office survey listed the top three-time wasters in business are:
- ineffective meetings
- unclear objectives and a lack of team communication
- that up to 67% of meetings are a complete failure with little or no outcome
Something I see over and over again with clients in all industries is the frequent requests to what I call unintentional or impulsive meetings. Only last week, I heard someone verbally ask a team member to a meeting, and when the team member asked why the meeting was taking place, there was no well-articulated response.
A few quick tips if you are organising a meeting:
1. Piss off the term “meeting.”
The word “meeting” is such a bland and beige non-descriptive word. I reckon it’s overused. Think about the outcome of the meeting and call the event that. For example:
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- Flip “Sales Meeting” to “2020 Growth get together” or “Weekly Meeting” to “Team Success Check-in.”
- This shows the value of attending with a desired outcome in place and can help create buy-in and commitment.
2. Know the intention
Often people cannot articulate the intention of a meeting. Any meeting I am invited to, and like many of us, there are a lot, I always ask “What is the intention of me attending?” If I can’t give or get value from the meeting or the intention isn’t clear, then the decision is easy not to attend with no guilt attached.
The intention/name of the event should be in the subject line on the diary or email invite.
3. Ask the right people
The “who” is usually left until last. If the intention is clear, then the attendees should be even easier to identify.
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- What value will X add?
- What value will X give?
- What is the cost of having X attend?
4. Be mindful of the mode
Getting hauled into the office for a face to face meeting takes travel time, and this all adds up. Think about what mode will suit the intention of the catch-up. Obviously face to face interaction is great for brainstorming and bonding but utilise Zoom/Skype and phone for the catch-ups that don’t require you to press the flesh so to speak. Valuing everyone’s’ time helps create buy-in and increases efficiency, and if your intention is clear, the mode of delivery should be obvious.
As always, we would love to hear if these insights resonate with you and what you’re doing in the area of intentional meetings.
Lead to be limitless!
If this article has resonated with you in any way – I’d love to hear your thoughts – get in touch. Being in service to my clients is why I do what I do, and your feedback, insight, and suggestions are always embraced.
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Renée is a mentor, coach, expert facilitator and keynote speaker. She is the author of ‘Limitless Leadership’ and co-author of ‘Leaders of Influence’.
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