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TRANSCRIPT
Tom Schulte
5 Disciplines for More Productive Meetings
ESTIMATED AVERAGE WASTE:
• Most employees attend 62 meetings monthly
• They consider half the time spent at meetings a waste
• 31 hours are spent in unproductive meetings over a month
• $37 Billion in salary cost of unnecessary meetings for U.S. businesses
Meetings
A collaborative study by Microsoft,
America Online and Salary.com
concluded:
• The average worker actually worked only 3 days per week
• The study identified that the rest of the working time was “wasted,” with unproductive meetings heading the list.
Meetings
According to a Clarizen/Harris survey:
• 40% of employees think status update meetings waste valuable time
• 70 % say these meetings don’t help them get any work done
• 67% say they are spending up to 4 hours per week getting ready for their next status update meeting.
Meetings
According to a survey by Office Team, a
division of Robert Half International:
• 45% of senior executives surveyed said that their employees would be more productive if their firms banned meetings for a least one day a week
Meetings
In a survey reported in Industry Week:
• 2000 managers claimed that at least 30% of their time spent in meetings were a waste of time
According to a 3M Meeting Network
survey of executives:
• 25-50 percent of the time people spend in meetings is wasted
Meetings
– What’s causing the waste?
ACTIVITY (Groups of 3-4)
Meetings
Discuss as a group your answers/thoughts/ideas to this question:
1. Getting off the subject
2. No goals or agenda
3. Too lengthy
4. Poor or inadequate preparation
5. Indecisive
6. Disorganized
7. Ineffective leadership/lack of control
8. Irrelevance of information discussed
9. Time wasted during meetings
10. Starting late
11. Decisions not made
Responses from study of 1,305 managers and professionals
12. Interruptions
13. Individuals dominate the discussion
14. Rambling, redundant, or digressive discussion
15. No published results or follow up actions
16. Meetings too large/too many
17. Too much information presented
18. Poor attitudes by participants
19. Lack of participation
– What’s causing the waste? Meetings
– What’s causing the waste? 5 DISCIPLINES for More Productive Meetings
Meetings are…
… still needed to make plans, solve problems,
get ideas, communicate information, etc.
… still necessary to keep a business viable
… something YOU have the ability to improve!
… can be made more effective by applying a
few simple steps
Meetings
Plan the Meeting
Design a Plan
5 DISCIPLINES for More Productive Meetings
Implementation Details
2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
1.
Execute the Decisions
Desired Outcome
We would never dream of doing anything
of any importance without careful planning.
Meetings should be no different!
Think Through: • “What issues need to be addressed?”
• “What specifically do I want to accomplish with each objective?” (i.e. Get Agreement, Group Problem Solving, Training,
Gain Support, To Decide, To Inform, Get Ideas, etc.)
• “Are there other team members who should contribute items to the agenda?”
• “Can any of these objectives be accomplished another way?” (i.e. phone, email, memo, etc.)
a) Define the purpose and clear objective(s) for this meeting
5 DISCIPLINES for More Productive Meetings
IMPORTANT TO NOTE!
Most meetings are not really just ONE meeting.
Most meetings are a designated period of time
filled with a series of MINI MEETINGS …each with
it’s own distinct topic, objective and purpose.
That is why a clear AGENDA is vital
Plan the Meeting
b) Develop an effective MEETING AGENDA
• The Agenda needs to be the detailed plan of what the group will achieve in the time period they will be meeting
• Each Agenda Item needs to include:
- The person responsible to lead that item
- The time allocated for each item
- The clear objective/desired outcome
- The method to be used to accomplish the objective
• Arrange the Agenda Items in a logical order and add the opening and closing meeting essentials Items
5 DISCIPLINES for More Productive Meetings
Agenda Item Facilitator: Steve Petersen Time Allowed: 25 Min
Objective: Create more effective safety procedures on changeovers.
Method: Steve will review the current procedure line by line and facilitate a brainstorming of ideas/opinions on changes that will make the process safer. This discussion will lead to agreements on the changes needed and an action plan for the successful implementation of those changes to all involved in the changeover procedure.
EXAMPLE
Plan the Meeting
• Review last meeting’s minutes
• Review this meeting’s timed agenda item objectives
• Carry out the planned agenda items
• Summarize the decisions made and action items assigned
• Evaluate the meeting for improvement (“What can we do to make our next meeting more effective?”)
AGENDA (With Opening and Closing Items)
5 DISCIPLINES for More Productive Meetings
c) Determine who needs to attend the meeting to help accomplish the objectives
Think through:
• “What team members/stakeholders need to be involved in the planned agenda items?
• “Is there an outside subject matter expert who is needed for any of the agenda items?”
• “Who is not needed at this meeting?”
5 DISCIPLINES for More Productive Meetings
Plan the Meeting
d) Decide the meeting date/time and reserve a room with appropriate set up and equipment
Think through:
• “What is a convenient time for all stakeholders?” (9:00am
and 3:00pm are good brain times)
• “What equipment is needed for the agenda items we will be working on?” (Flipchart, Projector & Screen, etc.)
• “How big a room will I need and what will be the most useful set-up?”
Plan the Meeting
5 DISCIPLINES for More Productive Meetings
e) Distribute the agenda, preparation instructions and needed supporting materials to participants prior to the meeting
Think through: • “How far in advance of the meeting do the attendees
need to have the Agenda to prepare?”
• “What additional materials could I send that would help them prepare?”
5 DISCIPLINES for More Productive Meetings
Plan the Meeting
a) Begin on time (Shut the door and don’t review what has happened
with those who are late)
b) Assign a “scribe” to record decisions made and action items assigned
c) Go over any “ground rules” needed to run an efficient meeting (No cell phone use – No side conversations – Stay on the topic – Don’t interrupt – Listen to others to understand – Be respectful of others, etc.)
d) Review minutes of previous meeting (1st
agenda item)
e) Review each Agenda item, objectives and times allocated to set a goal for the meeting (2
ndagenda item)
Starting the Meeting
5 DISCIPLINES for More Productive Meetings
Facilitating the Meeting
#1 Use of the AGENDA
The AGENDA is the meeting plan … follow it!
Make it a visible tool throughout the meeting
Use the item’s objective to refocus the group
Make people aware of the time left on an item
Ask the right questions:
“What do we need to do to finish this agenda item?”
“How will that decision help us meet our objective?”
“Who will take care of this as an action item?”
“Are we ready to move on to our next agenda item?”
5 DISCIPLINES for More Productive Meetings
Good Facilitators succeed by effectively using 3 powerful
“Tools of the Trade”
#2 Use of the FLIPCHART
Don’t know what to do next? … Pick up a marker and go to the flipchart
Use flipchart to record ideas/discussions points
Use to give focus to the discussion
Makes ideas visual
Use to resolve conflict of opinions
Draw the portrait of our discussion/project
Ask the right questions:
“What ideas do you have?
“How is that idea different than this one we recorded?”
“What are the pros and cons of each of these?”
“Would we say that we can eliminate this as an option?”
“Do we have agreement on this decision?”
5 DISCIPLINES for More Productive Meetings
Good Facilitators succeed by effectively using 3 powerful
“Tools of the Trade”
Facilitating the Meeting
#3 MANAGE the DYNAMICS
Ask the right questions: Differences create “synergy”
… but also “challenges”
Maintain a safe, open, supportive environment
Manage the partnerships conflicts & disruptions
Full participation is the goal
Remain cool and neutral
“Does anyone see it differently?”
“Why do you feel so strongly about that idea?”
“How will that effect our meeting the objective?”
“(Name), what are your thoughts about this?”
“What questions do you have about this?”
5 DISCIPLINES for More Productive Meetings
Good Facilitators succeed by effectively using 3 powerful
“Tools of the Trade”
Facilitating the Meeting
Concluding the Meeting
a) Summarize the output/results of the meeting (5th
agenda item) - The outcomes of each agenda item (decisions made)
- The action items assigned
b) Set the date and time of next meeting
c) Set preliminary agenda items (next steps)
d) Evaluate the effectiveness of the meeting (4th
agenda item)
- “What can we do to make our next meeting more effective?”
5 DISCIPLINES for More Productive Meetings
Follow-up after the Meeting
a) Consolidate and distribute the meetings minutes to all participants and other stakeholders
b) Follow-up on action items
c) Begin to plan the next meetings Agenda.
5 DISCIPLINES for More Productive Meetings
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3 Step 4
Step 5
5 DISCIPLINES for More Productive Meetings
What QUESTIONS
do you have?
1
st
Question:
Those are great ideas Tom but…
WHAT IF IT ISN’T MY MEETING?
5 DISCIPLINES for More Productive Meetings