Effective Meetings by Preparing Well

Introduction
In the fast-changing pace of the way we work (office work, work from home, hybrid or any other way we work), meetings are still a crucial way we exchange information, knowledge, gather motivation, find a meaning and the purpose in our work. Meetings are here to stay. So, we need to make sure we do not waste time for bad meetings.

How to have a great meeting? In short: just prepare well.
More? Continue reading.

The Most Important for the Meeting: Preparation
Like in every endeavor we take upon, preparation and planning we do before the actual undertaking of such endeavor are crucial for success. Meetings are no different. We need to make sure meetings are not held haphazardly, but carefully planned and prepared. Each meeting has to have a purpose and a goal. This is all defined well before the meeting, in the preparation for the meeting.

Important: if you have not prepared the meeting, don’t have one.

Preparation Document
Basic preparation should consist of (in writing):

• Agenda (basic, but sometimes forgotten): write down the agenda and the expectations of each point you have in the agenda. Do not put things in agenda just to show that something exists somewhere. Put only crucial points that will actually be discussed and decided upon in that meeting. Otherwise, it will just be creating confusion and unnecessary clutter.
• Participants: write down the participants and your expectations of each of them. Write down their names in the agenda items if needed and short expectations you have of them.
• Expected deliverables: at the bottom of the agenda, write down what are the end expectations of the meeting regarding certain points. What questions should be answered, what solutions proposed, what steps taken as next.

Meeting Time
During the preparation, you have to think of when to schedule the meeting. Make sure you schedule it at the convenient time. Here I am not talking about before or after lunch, morning or afternoon, but when in the process of the project (or other matter meeting relates to) each meeting should be. How far we are in the matter we are discussing so that the effect of the meeting will be maximized. Meetings at the beginning of the project will be different than those in the middle or at the end etc.

Invitation
Now that you have preparation document completed and time schedule defined, you need to execute an invite (yes, it is a process — just sending “one size fits all” email is not recommended).

As you have already defined participants, review the list and see if there is anyone you should add. Invite carefully though — do not invite everyone who should only slightly be involved. Some people could benefit from the meeting more if you only send them crucial points and actions afterwards, the meeting notes.

As there are different expectations from each participant (or at least from some of them), send individualized invitations as needed. To each participant you have specific expectations from, send them special invite with questions, comments, recommendations on what is expected. Make a personal note or comments for them if it is needed. Also, ask for preparation from those who need to have it. Then, finally, send one general invite to all.

Structure of the Meeting
Anticipate and approximate well the duration of the meeting. Send expected duration to all participants (schedule it in a “virtual tool” you are using, e.g., from 9:00 to 9:45, if the expected length is 45 minutes — do not send invitation with one hour reserved time if the expected length is 45 minutes — and if you prepare well, you will know how long it will last and you will have control of that). We do tend to set meetings for 30 minutes or 1 hour, as Outlook (or some other scheduling tool) is preset to such timeslots. Too much or too little time can make or break the meeting — planning is important in this area.

Have meeting with at last three parts:

• Introduction — where you will tell a brief summary
• Discussion — where you will go over the action points / agenda
• Conclusion — where you will summarize discussed and agreed

Dedicate specific time for each, do not lose control her either — e.g., 5 minutes for introduction, 20 minutes for discussion and 10 minutes for a conclusion.

Engage Everyone
In any meeting you are likely to have at least somewhat diverse group. You will always have people who are more involved in the issue and those who are to learn on the meeting. You will have those who tend to be more vocal as well as those who are not etc.

Make sure to understand (and this is done in the preparation phase) who should contribute what. If some participants do not speak up, call upon them. It is important that all opinions are heard and later on documented in the notes.

Send Follow-Up Meeting Notes
Once meeting is finished, summarize notes, which (if the meeting is virtual and you are having your computer with you) could be taken in real time. Notes should be brief and contain action points as the most important items. It is ok to describe and put notes of what has been said, but action points and the next steps are the key.

Send follow-up shortly after the meeting (the same day, ideally right after the meeting).

Conclusion
The most important thing for a successful meeting is focus. Focus on that meeting. Focus on each phase mentioned above. This means that there should be time dedicated before (preparation), during (actual leadership on the meeting), and after (send follow-ups and require follow-up).

To conclude, be it in the virtual, hybrid or physical world, the same principles apply and we can characterize it with the following words: focus, preparation and leadership.