Shift Your Mind

“Meetings are indispensable, if you don’t want to do anything.”

–John Kenneth Galbraith

I, like many people, am not a big fan of meetings.  They can be disruptive to the flow of work during the course of the day, often contain information that could have been communicated more effectively, and lack actionable items.

That being said, I recognize that meetings are a necessary evil.  I believe there are lots of times when scheduling a meeting is appropriate.  For example, I really enjoy brainstorming sessions which generate a lot of creative ideas, or a discussion that helps a person develop.

Running smooth meetings is an art form which takes experience and practice. I also submit, that it’s an art form to be a good meeting participant.  In either case, it’s important to show appreciation for the time that others are sharing with you.  It’s also everyone’s obligation to contribute and help conclude the meeting as quickly as possible.

Here are 14 things to keep in mind to help prevent a bad meeting.

1. Calling a meeting without establishing an agenda.  It’s the obligation of the meeting organizer to establish what is going to be covered in the meeting and why.
2. As a meeting moderator, failing to establish early on what everyone is there for. People need to know why they are there.  More importantly, can they leave after they have performed their role?
3. Showing up to a meeting unprepared, especially if materials were sent ahead of time. I believe in sending as much material as possible, ahead of time, to all of the meeting participants.  Nothing kills momentum in a meeting like re-capping information, just for the one person who didn’t read the materials.
4. Attempting to “take over” the meeting by establishing your own agenda.  If you disagree, or want to change the meeting agenda, let the moderator know ahead of time.
5. Checking your email/twitter/favorite websites during a meeting. This is very distracting to others and shows you are un-interested in what people are saying.  Leave those devices turned off.
6. Interrupting others is a sure fire way to get them mad at you.  Everyone will “get a turn” so be respectful when the floor isn’t yours.
7. Introducing a new subject, that isn’t related to the meeting.  Focus on what you are there for. Side subjects will increase the amount of time you are in the room and not accomplishing your goals for meeting.
8. Carrying on side conversations is great way to have people get really upset with you.  This is just plain rude.  If you have something you need to share in confidence, write it down.
9. Engaging in heated verbal discussion.  If you see everyone else in the room with their heads down, buried in their notebook, then you probably have made them uncomfortable in some way.
10. Show up late. It’s not always possible, but try not to show up late to a meeting.  It’s common courtesy.
11. Taking phone calls in a meeting. Similar to #5, it is rude and shows that you aren’t interested what others have to say.  Politely excuse yourself and take the call if you must.  Also, set those phones to vibrate.
12. Run a meeting over it’s allotted time. It’s everyone’s responsibility to conclude the meeting on time.  As the moderator, if you sense the meeting may run over, ask prior to the end of the meeting if everyone can stay over a few extra minutes to wrap things up.
13. Give off poor body language. In a meeting, you never know who is watching you.  How do they perceive you?  Are you slumping in your chair, rolling your eyes, or staring off into empty space?  Remember, people take these perceptions of you with them when the meeting is over.
14. Calling a meeting for more than an hour on a single topic. People burnout after about an hour discussion on a single subject.  Yes, sometimes meetings need to last several hours due to the difficulty in getting everyone in one place.  Try to keep these long meeting diverse and don’t dwell on a single topic more than an hour.

If you’re like me, there a few items in this list which you may do from time to time.  For me, it’s arriving to meetings on time.   With my busy schedule, it’s not always possible to get from one meeting to the next.  To combat this, I try to keep gaps between meetings.

What are some other things which you believe are disruptive to a meeting?

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