Making Meetings Meaningful: Have an agenda, insist on = punctuality and turn off the cell phones

Search=20 post-gazette NOW:=20

Text Size: A| A| A

=20

NOW

NEWS

NEIGHBORHOODS

SPORTS

BUSINESS

LIVING

A=20 & E

MULTIMEDIA

OPINION

Cars

Jobs

Real = Estate

Classifieds

<= /DIV>

Making Meetings Meaningful: Have an agenda, = insist on=20 punctuality and turn off the cell phones

Monday, June 02, 2008

By Joyce Gannon, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Daniel = Marsula/Post-Gazette

You walk out of the staff meeting your boss holds every Thursday = morning,=20 head to the company cafeteria for coffee, and once again find yourself=20 discussing with co-workers how little the 45-minute gathering = accomplished.

That scene plays out daily around in organizations large and small as = workers, many of them juggling more duties on tighter deadlines because = of=20 economic cutbacks, wonder why so much time is wasted in meetings.

"We find meetings typically are set up for failure at the outset," = said=20 Channing Rollo, director of business identification at Proudfoot = Consulting Co.,=20 an Atlanta-based management consulting practice. "Nearly half [of = meetings]=20 don't have sufficient preparation, clear agendas or objectives. People = sort of=20 walk in unprepared, so everyone's time is wasted. We all know this from = our=20 day-to-day lives. We walk in and say, 'There goes an hour.' "

In a study of meetings at 235 companies worldwide, Proudfoot found = fewer than=20 half, or 41 percent, had an appropriate agenda set before the meeting = took=20 place; 38 percent clearly followed and focused on the agenda; and only = 13=20 percent had a follow-up action plan that was reviewed before the meeting = concluded.

Part of the reason meetings frequently fizzle is that managers or = team=20 leaders who organize them forget the fundamentals, said Ruth Parkinson,=20 marketing manager in Proudfoot's London office who authored the = study.

"There is no agenda set, no time limit set, people don't read the = action=20 points when they come out, people arrive late, and some are taking phone = calls=20 during the meeting."

Glenn Parker, a Skillman, N.J.-based team building consultant and = co-author=20 of the book, "Meeting Excellence: 33 Tools to Lead Meetings That Get = Results,"=20 said meetings have become less effective because there are more being = held.

"There are many more organizations using teams to get the work done. = So one=20 of the ways teams get work done is to have meetings. And with more = meetings,=20 there's more likelihood of bad meetings."

Mr. Parker's 2006 book was based on recommendations for meeting = efficiency=20 that he and co-author Robert Hoffman created for Novartis, a global=20 pharmaceuticals business.

Among the most critical component to achieve better meetings, Mr. = Parker=20 said, is planning for goals the group needs to accomplish, "instead of = just a=20 list of things we want to talk about."

"Every meeting should have a purpose or what we call a 'key meeting = outcome.'=20 What is the one thing we need to get done to walk away and say that was = a=20 successful meeting? That should be on your agenda."

Another recurring problem, he said, is keeping the meeting on = track.

"One of the biggest complaints we found at Novartis was that people = go off on=20 tangents and as a result, time doesn't get managed well and some things = don't=20 get considered because people have to leave and go to the next meeting. = ... So=20 people walk out saying, 'I wasted my time.' "

To prevent that, he advises the person conducting the meeting to open = it by=20 stating the key outcome the group needs to address, sticking to the = agenda, and=20 summarizing the action plan before the meeting wraps up.

Organizations can reduce the number of meetings "by being a little=20 thoughtful," Mr. Parker said.

"Think before you announce a meeting. In fact is there a real = purpose? Just=20 because it's Tuesday at 10 a.m. doesn't mean we have to have the regular = staff=20 meeting."

And what about some of the most annoying elements of meetings -- the=20 persistent late arrivals and cell phone interruptions?

"My rule of thumb is that you turn everything off during a meeting," = said Mr.=20 Parker. "Or you turn the phone to vibrate, because when you're here, we = want you=20 to be here unless your wife is expecting a baby. Part of etiquette also = is to=20 set the cultural tone. Meetings should start and end on time. It's = disrespectful=20 to others if you wait 15 minutes for others to show up, and those who = normally=20 show up on time say, 'What am I doing here?' "

While many workers -- and some managers -- might dream of a world = without=20 meetings, those who have studied meetings don't expect that to happen = anytime=20 soon.

"I see more of a proliferation because that's how work is getting = done," said=20 Mr. Parker. "Most companies have business interests all over the world. = How else=20 are you going to work with people if you can't communicate with = them?"

Said Ms. Parkinson: "We're not anti-meeting per se. Companies just = need to be=20 clear about people's roles and expectations. As humans, I think we need = to meet=20 and talk."

Joyce Gannon can be reached at jgannon@post-gazette.com or = 412-263-1580.

First published on June 2, 2008 at = 12:00=20 am

<= IMG=20 alt=3DSubscribe=20 src=3D"http://www.post-gazette.com/includes/2007design/images/icons/subsc= ribe.png">Subscribe=20 and save

<= IMG=20 alt=3D"Report News"=20 src=3D"http://www.post-gazette.com/includes/2007design/images/icons/repor= tnews.png">Report=20 news to the PG

Get=20 Email headlines

Subscribe=20 to RSS feeds

Shop=20 the PG store

Place=20 a Classified Ad

Coupons=20 & Contests

Live=20 traffic updates

Dining=20 Guide

Events=20 Calendar

Mobile=20 news alerts

PG=20 NOW podcasts

Post=20 your pictures

Games

Online: Contact Us Site Map Terms of Use Privacy Policy Advertise About Us What's New = Help Corrections =

Print: Home = Delivery=20 Payment = Vacation Address = Change=20 Rates = Custo= mer=20 Service Delivery = Questions = Back = Copies Specials = Gift = Subscriptions N= ewsstand=20 FAQ =