Home > Dr. Greg >

From Dr. Greg's KPIX Segments

Improving Meetings

Reasons to Hold a Meeting

1. To do something together that you can't do better alone.
   
   
2. When two-way communication is required by a team.
   
   
3. When a decision or course of action needs to be taken by a team.

Reasons Not to Hold a Meeting

1. If the one-way information share can be covered in email, memo or report.
   
   
2. Because this meeting is a long-standing regularly scheduled meeting.
   
   
3. Someone wants to toot their own horn in front of the manager & team.

How to Run an Effective Meeting

1. Don't meet. Ask if a meeting is the best way to accomplish the goal.
   
   
2. Define a clear objective for the meeting beforehand.
   
   
3. Define and circulate an agenda beforehand. Include meeting objective, topics, time required, who's responsible, and expected outcomes.
   
   
4. Nominate a facilitator, scribe and time-keeper.
   
   
5. Drive all discussions towards defining action steps.
   
   
6. Make liberal use of a "parking lot."
   
   
7. Start and end on time.

How to Get Out of A Meeting You've Been Asked to Attend

1. If it's your boss, say "yes", but ask which of your assignments he/she'd like you to put off to attend, or suggest a better way to achieve the boss's goal.
   
   
2. If it's a peer, unless it's critical that you be there say "no," but offer to help them achieve their meeting objective in some other way.
   
   
3. If a meeting you've been asked to attend doesn't have a stated objective, suggest that an email or memo be sent instead.

If All Else Fails And You Have to Go to That Waste-of-Time Meeting

1. Suggest that the meeting be a standing-only meeting.
   
   
2. Suggest using a bell that anyone can ring when someone starts to ramble.
   
   
3. Take other work to do, but make sure you have a clipboard or folder that you can hold on your lap to work in, sit on the outskirts of the meetings.