Meaningful Meetings

摘要

For many, workplace meetings can go in one of two directions. Some solidify connections, resolve issues and set things in motion. Others-those poorly planned without clear direction or purpose-prove to be unproductive time killers that drain attendees' energy and do more harm than good. Steven G. Rogelberg, president of SRS Inform and a keynote speaker at ASQ's second virtual World Conference on Quality and Improvement (WCQI) in late May, offered some ideas to make meetings more meaningful and productive. For meeting leaders: 1. Start with a steward mindset. Think about your key customer. Meeting leaders must recognize their role as a steward of time. "You become intentional with your meeting decisions," said Rogelberg, an organizational psychologist. 2. Invite the fewest people possible. "Don't over invite. Let nonessential people off the hook. Those who aren't invited, open things up for a side conversation about the topic. Keep meetings lean," he said. 3. Don't always schedule meetings for an hour. Remember Parkinson's law-that is, work expands to the time allotted to complete it. "Go for the shortest time reasonable, given the goals of the meeting," he said. 4. Start your meetings well. Remember you are the host. "Your mood actually matters. It sets the tone and promotes creativity," Rogelberg said. 5. Actively facilitate, and interrupt gently when necessary. Draw in virtual attendees to keep them engaged. 6. Establish norms and expectations. Create expectations with attendees on what makes a good meeting (for example, let everyone keep comments to 30 seconds). 7. End meetings well. Clarify takeaways. Designate a directly responsible individual. Don't let anyone leave wondering what was accomplished. 8. Evaluate your meetings periodically. Send short surveys to attendees afterward. See if people are multi-tasking or having side conversations. If it's happening, your meeting isn't optimal.