MEETING SPECIAL..... Troubleshoot the meeting errors

Troubleshoot the meeting errors

The problem with long meetings is there is too much talk and little action. They can be a waste of time. Here’s how to cut them short

Paul Axtell the author of Meetings Matter and the recently released second edition of Ten Powerful Things to Say to Your Kids shares tips on how to run an effective meeting. In the workshops he leads, three complaints about meetings come up consistently:

• One or two people dominate the conversation and no one does anything about it.

• No one is paying attention because they’re on their phones or laptops.

• We keep having the same conversations because nothing gets done between meetings.

Fortunately, there are specific solutions for each of these problems.

Conversation dominators

If some people consistently speak more often or longer than others, colleagues will resent them. Here are some ways to broaden participation:

When you open the meeting

• Let the group know that you want broad participation and that everyone has a chance to contribute on each topic.

•#Ask for permission to call on people when you want to get more views.

•#Tell people that you will not leave a topic if anyone still has something to say or ask.

During the meeting

•#When you have the sense that someone is speaking too often, ask the person to hold back his thoughts for a moment. You might say, “ABC, let me get some others into this conversation and then I’ll come back to you, OK?”

•#Whenever someone gets cut off or interrupted, always double back and ask the person to finish her thoughts: “XYZ, was there something else you wanted to add?”

• If you’re the person who has been interrupted, speak up. You can say, “I wasn’t quite finished. I’d like to complete my comment and then I’d love to hear your thoughts.”

Short attention spans

You can tolerate some distractions when they occur irregularly, but if people are regularly typing emails or checking their texts, it can kill meaningful participation. Setting new norms starts at the top. Put an agreement in place at the beginning of the meeting to limit technology use. It may also be a good idea to write “no devices” on the whiteboard so that you can point to it if attendees start to check their phones. If it seems overwhelming to take on the culture around devices at your company, start with yourself. You’ll be surprised at how quickly colleagues will notice that you are completely present and that others are not. And they just might join you.

Beating around the bush

Send out a summary of the meeting soon after it’s over or at least before the end of the day. Assign someone to follow up with everyone between meetings to see that they are making progress on the action items that were assigned to them.

Keep track of how many items are completed — aim for an 85 per cent completion rate. When the rate slips, stop and have a conversation with your group about what would help you all get back on track.

—The New York Times