{"id":4946,"date":"2010-10-22T07:00:50","date_gmt":"2010-10-22T14:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/?p=4946"},"modified":"2010-10-21T14:33:24","modified_gmt":"2010-10-21T21:33:24","slug":"effective-meeting-management-tips-to-use-at-any-meeting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/?p=4946","title":{"rendered":"Effective Meeting Management:  Tips to use at any meeting"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/svapm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/checklist2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-4947\" src=\"https:\/\/svapm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/checklist2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"86\" height=\"100\" \/><\/a> In a previous blog (&#8220;Effective meeting management skills are not only for the board room&#8221;), I shared a story illustrating some everyday\u00a0 meeting mismanagement techniques.\u00a0 In that blog, I promised a follow-up &#8220;cheat sheet&#8221; to use at any type of meeting.<\/p>\n<p>Let me know if you find some of the below useful in your next board meeting, hallway confrontation, or social event.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Have a purpose and success criteria (understand what \u201cdone\u201d or &#8220;success&#8221;\u00a0 means)<\/li>\n<li>Have an agenda with time tables.<\/li>\n<li>Stick to the time table and ground rules<\/li>\n<li>Use of parking lot for items not fitting the original agenda<\/li>\n<li>Use parking lot for items taking longer than their original agenda time<\/li>\n<li>Stick to the purpose of the meeting.<\/li>\n<li>Be  willing to schedule another meeting to complete agenda, gather the  right information and\/or get the right people in the meeting.<\/li>\n<li>Verify that you\u2019ve met your meeting\u2019s success criteria<\/li>\n<li>Summary of your action items owners, deadlines<\/li>\n<li>Include reasonable forcing functions and accountability partners to assure progress<\/li>\n<li>If you haven&#8217;t met the meeting&#8217;s &#8220;success criteria&#8221;, identify the follow-up items to achieve it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>As in life, things will undoubtedly pop up to throw us off game.\u00a0 Below are the more typical scenarios and pitfalls.\u00a0 Use the following recommendations to help get you back on tack.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>I&#8217;m not the facilitator of the meeting. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>That is not a reason to waste time. (Read my blog on &#8216;Making excuses for yourself and others&#8221;).\u00a0 Everyone is the CEO of their own lives.\u00a0\u00a0 You are a valuable contributor to this meeting and this organization. \u00a0 Be in control of how you want to spend your valuable time.<\/p>\n<p>1) As the meeting starts, request a review of the goal, agenda and success criteria for the meeting.<\/p>\n<p>2) If\/when you see the meeting fall off route, suggest that this important\u00a0 (but unscheduled) topic\u00a0 be scheduled for a different meeting so that it can be given the time and focus that it really requires.<\/p>\n<p>3) If\/when you see the meeting spending time on &#8220;social content&#8221; versus solution\/goal orientation,\u00a0 acknowledge that you are please that everyone is excited about this discussion. \u00a0 Also acknowledge that you appreciate everyone&#8217;s time, and that we want to be sensitive about everyone&#8217;s schedule.\u00a0 At that moment, quickly and concisely summarize the problem to validate that everyone understand the essence of the problem.\u00a0 Then suggest moving onto the solution discussion phase.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Often times, meeting items take longer than originally allocated<\/strong><\/em> <strong><em>because:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>1)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0  We don\u2019t have the right people in the meeting \u2013 people are just talking  the topic but aren\u2019t the right people to do anything about it.<\/p>\n<p>Then reschedule and invite the right people authorized to \u201cdo something\u201d<\/p>\n<p>2)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 We\u00a0 get side-tracked on other side issues<\/p>\n<p>Then acknowledge those important issues, and place them on the Parking Lot list.\u00a0 Once realizes, schedule a separate meeting to give those issues the right time to discuss.\u00a0 Often times the people in the current meeting are not the correct people for this new meeting.\u00a0 Make sure you understand the right people for that new meeting (and invite only those).<\/p>\n<p>3)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Don\u2019t have the right data or information to make a decision<\/p>\n<p>If you don\u2019t have the right data, information or people to make progress, please reschedule.\u00a0 There is no reason to waste the time in a meeting that can\u2019t accomplish the goal of the meeting.<\/p>\n<p>If, by chance,\u00a0 you have the right people and right data for \u201ca different  meeting\u201d \u2013 change it to \u201cthe different meeting\u201d and release the  irrelevant folks.\u00a0 Take advantage of the \u201cright people\u201d for \u201cthe  different meeting\u2019.\u00a0 It is difficult enough to gather the right people together for a common goal.\u00a0 Take full advantage of this gathering (even if it&#8217;s for a different purpose).<\/p>\n<p>4)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Noise versus necessary<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes people want to vent.\u00a0 Sometimes it is a necessary &#8220;evil&#8221;, in order to move forward.\u00a0 BUT you should to timebox the venting.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, we often disguise the &#8220;venting&#8221; in the form of &#8220;understanding the problem&#8221;.\u00a0\u00a0 We typically spend too long describing how the problem was &#8220;invented&#8221; and the circumstances, history, etc.\u00a0 This actually slows down the &#8220;solution&#8221; process.<\/p>\n<p>In reality, the only piece of the &#8220;problem&#8221; information that is truly required is that <em>&#8220;the problem exists&#8221;<\/em>.\u00a0 How it came about may be interesting &#8212; but it rarely helps with the solution and slows down progress.<\/p>\n<p>Albert Einstein knew this about problems:\u00a0 &#8220;We can&#8217;t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The &#8220;thought-process&#8221; that brings out the\u00a0 &#8220;solution&#8221; needs to be totally different from the &#8220;thought-process&#8221; that created the problem.\u00a0\u00a0 Therefore, spending lots of time discussing the &#8220;problem&#8221; in detail only keeps us in the same thinking space that created the problem (which is where we DO NOT want to be).<\/p>\n<p>I liken it to the modern day &#8220;GPS&#8221; system.\u00a0 The GPS system never asks you &#8220;how did you get here?&#8221;\u00a0 It only asks you &#8220;where do you want to go?&#8221; It doesn&#8217;t focus on where you have been, how you got there, what roads, issues, circumstances that you encountered to arrive &#8216;here&#8217;.\u00a0 It only asks you &#8220;where do you want to go?&#8221;\u00a0 It simply focuses on the solution of your desire.<\/p>\n<p>THEREFORE,\u00a0 reduce the &#8220;problem discussion&#8221; time as short as possible.\u00a0 After the appropriate amount of time has passed, re-iterate in your own words what you understand the &#8220;problem&#8221; to be.\u00a0 Repeat in clarifying and concise language.\u00a0 Associate an owner, time frame and action items toward it&#8217;s solution.\u00a0 If no one volunteers to champion the issue, then the item was just a &#8220;vent&#8221;.\u00a0\u00a0 Deem the issue closed and no further work will be done on it.<\/p>\n<p>Let me know which tip you tried at your next conversation and meeting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a previous blog (&#8220;Effective meeting management skills are not only for the board room&#8221;), I shared a story illustrating [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1508,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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