Effective Meetings Guidelines

Contrary to many people's expectations, the need and frequency of meetings has not diminished with the "electronic age". In fact, evidence suggests that we are spending more time in meetings each year and that participants are becoming increasingly frustrated with the output of these meetings.

PSA Training and Development have produced the following suggested guidelines for effective meetings. They are provided for anyone to use. All we ask is that if you share these with others, that you credit PSA Training and Development as the originators.

1. Should we hold a meeting?

• Why are you calling a meeting? What is the purpose and objective(s)?

• Does it meet other participants' needs as well as your own.

• Is a meeting the best way to achieve your goal?

  • Are you having this meeting because you always have done?

  • Could an alternative means be used, phone, email, video conference?

  • What would happen if you did not hold this meeting?

2. Preparation

• Invite ONLY the people who REALLY need to attend or really want to be there. Meeting effectiveness has been proven to decline with increasing numbers of participants - try to keep the numbers below 12 where possible.

• Distribute at least three days in advance a meaningful agenda.

  • Meeting subject

  • Meeting purpose

  • Meeting outcomes

  • Location

  • Attendees

  • Start time

  • End time

  • Items for the agenda listed in order of importance

  • Agenda to have times against each item

  • Agenda items to identify clearly the objective and outcome required

  • Any preparation work, pre-reading or analysis distributed with the agenda.

• Short highly focused meetings are normally more effective that lengthy ones. Make the agenda achievable in the time available. Meetings that look like they will last more than 90 minutes either need splitting up or a break incorporating in the running order.

Attending the meeting

• Complete your preparations before hand - avoiding back to back meetings may help to carve out the opportunities to prepare for forthcoming meetings.

• Arrive on time and start the meeting regardless of latecomers. Don't penalise the prompt by making them wait.

• Get straight to business. Don't fill the first ten minutes with 'catching up' chat. Save this for the end of the meeting.

• Chair or item sponsor to introduce each agenda item - including the subject, the purpose and the expected outcome (a decision, a recommendation, an action point etc).

• Pay attention and listen.

• If you can't give the meeting your full attention you perhaps ought not to be there.

• Speak one at a time and don't cut across each other.

• Challenge the idea or concept rather than the person.

• Everyone is responsible for ensuring that participants stay focused upon the overall meeting and each agenda item's purpose - don't let people wander onto 'pet' subjects.

• Staying on time is everyone's responsibility - not just the chair.

• Summarise frequently to keep on track and to ensure that everyone has the same understanding.

• Allow people to leave after their input has been made or topics have been addressed. Don't create 'meeting hostages'.

• Allow people to arrive after the meeting has commenced if their section is towards the end and the earlier parts do not concern them.

• Summarise action points to ensure actions are understood by all present.

• Consider the use of an action log rather than taking full and in depth minutes.

• Finish on or ahead of time. If the meeting ends 20 minutes early, don't feel compelled to drag it out to the expected finish time.

• Take time to review the meeting process before participants leave. How well did we handle this meeting? What could we do to improve for the next time?

3. Meeting Review

• Was the meeting purpose clear and valid?

• How useful was the agenda? Was it distributed in sufficient time?

• How well did we stick to the times? Why?

• Were the correct people present?

• What worked well at this meeting?

• Have we achieved all that we set out to? Why?

• What will I do for the next meeting?

4. Meeting Charter - Within Sales and Marketing we will...

• Come prepared

• Follow the agenda

• Start on time - end on time

• Focus upon the goals and objectives of the meeting

• Pay attention and listen

• Speak one at a time

• Give everyone equal chance to participate

• Summarise frequently progress and decisions

• Leave the meeting if you are no longer required

• Share the responsibility for successful and timely meetings

• Ensure actions are clearly recorded

• Review the meeting before departing