RICH SOLUTIONS BLOG

What’s the goal?

#2 in a series on meetings

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In my last blog post, I focused on the question – to meet or not to meet: is a meeting the best strategy for meeting your goals? This blog entry is about when you have decided that a meeting IS, in fact, your best strategy.

While it may seem obvious, make sure the purpose of the meeting is clear to everyone who attends. All attendees should know why they are there and what they hope to accomplish during their time together.

Here are some different ways that you can inform people about what needs to get done in the meeting:

1. Announce the goals in writing beforehand.
2. Review written goals at the beginning of the meeting as part of the meeting overview.
3. Establish goals either verbally or in writing at the very beginning of the meeting in an informal way.

I have found that my meetings are more successful when I name the objectives at the outset and then review the objectives at the end to determine if they have been met. It is easy to skip this step if you meet frequently and informally but I’d urge you not to. Too often, many of us have wasted time remembering why we are there in the first place and fumbling with details of what happened last time.

Once objectives are established, the convener should address the following questions and in a timely manner so the tasks can be reasonably completed before the meeting:

1. What preparation is required before the meeting that support the work? (both for planner and attendees?)

Publicize the agenda in at timely manner (by laws generally state the timeframe but organizational culture or other regulations may dictate timelines as well). “Pre-reads” and accompanying instructions of how those pre-reads might be used should be sent at the same time as the agenda. Other pre-meeting tasks include completing pertinent reports and calling for reports to be reviewed at the meeting. The convener must consider any other materials that are needed to effectively complete the agenda. Having all these logistics worked out ahead of time will allow all participants to come to the meeting prepared and ready to address the meeting topics.

2. Who needs to attend the meeting and why?
3. In what ways will the people attending the meeting be impacted? And should any measures be taken to anticipate the impact?
4. What roles will people take and what will the follow up be?

In short, meetings are more productive if the goals are clear at the outset. Having clear goals allows the participants to stay on task, to feel a sense of completion and to build a common sense of purpose. I like to think that is what we are striving for in our work.

 

****Image courtesy of: http://www.petsloving.com/the-curious-puppy-cant-wait-to-see-his-best-friends-new-kitten-so-look-what-he-did/

 

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