‘The effectiveness of a meeting is inversely proportional to the number of attendees’
Lane Kirkland
Even when the meetings take between the 25% and the 60% of managers in organizations’ average time, they are not very welcome for the employees.
Reasons for disagreement are assorted but the most common are: ‘they are waste of time’, ‘mean much more work’, ‘anything important is said’, ‘the agenda is not respected’ or ‘non related topics are known’.
Notwithstanding, a work meeting oriented toward the company’s goal, well planned, organized and developed, means a key element in the decision making process as well as its applicability.
Meetings allow the introduction of new ideas, problem discussions, solutions search, effort coordination, team working consolidation, problem solving or just to share information that cannot be shared in any other way.
In order to guarantee a successful work meeting, some elements are to be considered:
It must be held only if it is the best way to reach the wished goal, which must be clearly and precisely indicated in the notice, which does not mean that it shouldn’t be interesting and funny, encouraging people to attend the meeting.
The attendees must be only those concerned people directly related with the topics to be known. Sometimes it is not needed for everybody to stay during the whole meeting but only when it is needed to share specific information. It is important to be clear on who must attend and why.
Drawing up the agenda allows the meeting to be simplified and effective. This is why it has to be carefully developed and some prior consultations with the attendees can be done. A well-detailed and organized agenda avoids the topic ‘any other business’ that some times denatures the object of the meeting and takes excessive time.
The meeting moderator must not be the person with the higher position in the organization since this person may not be impartial, disable any other person’s participation and also having difficulties with the time management of h/her own participation. The moderator must, at the same time, appoint the person who will follow up the meeting whom shall be included in the meeting’s plan.
The facilitator must promote a friendly meeting, trust environment as well as encourage the interest of the attendees, for this, h/she must put into practice the Code of Conduct of the organization in order to get successful results.
A meeting is, at the same time, a learning experience then, it will be valid to apply the principles of simulation, approval and recognition to those who take part in it.
Time is a key element for the meeting results. Beginning and closing time must be duly indicated. Participation of people must have a delimited time as well as respecting the time for each participant.
The results of a meeting are not only the responsibility of the organizer or the caller, but of every one of the participants who must attend on time, being clear on the objective of the meeting, bring h/her own information organized in advance, write about the discussed topics, stick to the agenda as well as fulfill the requested assignments.
To consider successful a work or business meeting, it is needed to execute and follow up the decisions made and the reached agreements.
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