| Five tips for Better Meetings |
Meetings are a problem for everyone. Chances are, you've probably asked yourself, "When are they going to cut out some of these useless meetings and let me get some work done?" I heard this recently from one of my clients, a vice president of R&D for a laboratory products company. She felt that her company was in danger of becoming unproductive because of the frequency and ineffectiveness of meetings. When she pointed out this "meeting mania" to the CEO, he responded that their revenue growth exceeded 50% each year for the past several years and that this kind of success demands much planning and coordination and with that, meetings. But he felt that they could make their meetings more effective.
Much has been written about conducting productive meetings. I've seen many books promising a fresh approach to the subject, but I believe that they are some of the most boring volumes on the business shelf. What may be missing is information on how to be a better meeting participant -- changing the way we perceive our role might have something to do with making meetings more effective. Because meetings aren't going away and are actually becoming more frequent in some companies (like the one mentioned above), we need to learn how to make our own participation in them more valuable.
Five tips for Better Meetings
Recently, I was invited to visit a biotech company's weekly team meeting. We had been selected to conduct the search for two key positions that would interact heavily with this core group. My contact, the vice president of human resources, felt that it would be good for me to take note of the various "personal chemistry" issues we would face on the search. The participants were asked to share with me their views of our recruiting mission. As will often happen in meetings, however, the conversation veered off course, and I had a very real experience in the way meetings are typically run in our industry. From this I can illustrate five tips for conducting better meetings.
Read the body language
Most people need to be more perceptive in this regard. Meetings are a great place to study body language, for they are a sort of corporate-style ritualistic mating dance. My first impression of this group, which consisted of seven key individuals from the development team, was that it was split between "movers and shakers" and some very fresh, inexperienced staff. The team members were all about the same age, but I could immediately spot those who were calling the shots by the way that they were grouped around the table.
Because it was a round conference table, I couldn't take my bearings by who was sitting at the head and the foot of the table (the two positions where the most dominant people ordinarily sit). Instead, I noted that three of the seven individuals leaned back in their swivel chairs in very relaxed and comfortable postures. The rest of the group sat upright and attentive, with elbows on the table. The three heavy hitters enjoyed the swivel feature on their chairs and gestured a lot while speaking, whereas the remaining participants contributed with varying levels of caution.
Be prepared
I'm always surprised by the number of people who just "show up" for meetings without giving any real thought to the topic or preparing ways to contribute. It was the same in this session. There were several embarrassing moments for a couple of the team members who hadn't read the memo about the day's agenda. Also, although some neat ideas were circulated, the presenters hadn't really gathered evidence to support their suggestions. Instead of flying blind, drum up support material in advance. We've all seen great ideas shot down in a meeting because no corroborative material was prepared. Remember, a meeting is an ideal opportunity to impress those above you -- sometimes many levels above you -- with how seriously you take your job. (Similarly, it is also a platform from which you can show management exactly how inept your presentation skills are.)
Defuse sticky issues
One aspect of pre-meeting preparation that might pay off is to take the edge off a potential interpersonal conflict in advance. If you sense that one of your suggestions is going to adversely affect a colleague, it might be wise to let her know in advance that you plan to bring up a certain course of action at the meeting. This can defuse potential problems and convert a potential antagonist into an ally.
In this meeting, a junior member of the team had a good idea that would obviously encroach on another team member's turf. I was impressed by the way that he had smoothed the way for the concept with the other team member in advance, incorporating some of her thoughts into his presentation.
Choose your moment
When you decide to speak up is probably just as important as what you are going to say. If you jump in too soon with a ground-breaking thought, you may interrupt the group's orientation process -- that first part of a meeting where everyone takes a few moments to get comfortable with the agenda and the chemistry at work around the table. It is usually best to wait until a time when your idea fits naturally into the discussion.
If you feel really good about an idea, you'll want to introduce it when the topic comes up. But beware: You should leave yourself open to variations of the concept. Never drop a suggestion on a group and suggest that the concept is perfectly formed. Always leave a little room in the idea for some massaging by the rest of the team. If your concept is still a bit tentative, back into it gradually by tagging it onto a comment about another person's idea. Despite how forcefully you present your idea, remember not to be too defensive if the discussion starts going against you. The last thing that a weekly (or more frequent) team meeting needs is someone who is defensive or whiny when he doesn't get his way.
Pick up the ball
If you truly want to be recognized for your part in the meeting, be the one who offers to follow up on some important matter at the close. In this way, you'll have the opportunity to sum up your findings at the next session. As long as you don't appear manipulative, "grabbing" opportune responsibilities in these meetings is usually a good thing for your career.
The meeting ended for me when the discussion turned to some proprietary aspects of their product development. As I got up to leave, they suddenly remembered that an outsider had been sitting at the table and they had strayed far from their original agenda. I made a graceful exit -- armed with copious notes about the interpersonal skills that my candidate would need to succeed in this team. Meetings are a great place to learn who really is in charge!
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DAVE
JENSEN, Managing Director
Search Masters International |
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