I love meetings! Especially well-run meetings, and a recent article I found has some fantastic advice on how to ensure your meetings are actually productive. Elizabeth Doty writes in strategy+business (read it here) that most meetings fail for participants lacking a clear sense of why the meeting is necessary. The article is short and punchy, and well worth the few minutes it takes to read it, however following is a quick overview of the main points:
- Welcome people and help them connect. This includes getting everyone to speak at some point in this process (that “warms them up” ready to talk in the meeting), personalize the greetings, and create a sense of community.
- Bring the purpose to life. Activate people’s interest in why the meeting is happening. Briefly state the purpose in the context of a larger dilemma that requires the assembled group’s expertise or creativity. Then discuss this so the participants know why they are there and what you hope to accomplish. In other words, make it worth their while being there.
- Preview the journey. What work needs to happen, and what will you be asking of them. Then ask for questions and adjust the agenda as needed.
Implement these three simple things in your meetings and see the difference.
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