To Meet or Not to Meet - What are the Questions?
By Susan
Friedmann
Editor's Summary:If you are planning a meeting or a series
of meetings take a look at this article. Should you really be planning
your meeting? Are you meeting just because you always meet at 2:00 o'clock
on Monday afternoon? This article provides you with thirteen reasons
for not calling a meeting. Also provided are thirteen good reasons for
holding a meeting. So if you are interested in saving work time, take
a few minutes to review the reasons why you should or should not plan
a meeting.
Meetings can be a total waste of time or a powerful and productive
communication tool that solve problems, stimulate ideas, promote team
spirit and generate action. The results lie totally in how they are
run. Organized and well-managed meetings will inevitably produce effective
results. Whereas, meetings that are poorly managed lack purpose and
focus are a total waste of an organization’s time and money.
From my observations working with hundreds of different companies,
I have noticed that people seem to be meeting more, enjoying it less
and frustrated that they have so little time to get their “real” work
done. They talk about meetings as being a “necessary evil.” Research
conducted by the Annenberg School of Communications at UCLA and the
University of Minnesota’s Training & Development Research Center show
that executives on average spend 40-50% of their working hours in meetings.
The studies also point out that as much as 50% of meeting time is unproductive
and that up to 25% is spent discussing irrelevant issues.
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I have certainly had more than my fair share of the good, the bad and
the ugly meetings, both as a paid employee and as a volunteer. I have
also experienced the wonderful sense of satisfaction from productive
sessions, as well as the frustration and anger from ineffective sessions.
I believe that the key to success lies not only in the preparation and
organization, but also in the way in which the meeting is managed. When
ego and power can be put aside, it is so much easier to get on with
the task at hand.
All of this begs to ask the question, “Are meetings really necessary?”
Well, sometimes they are and sometimes they aren’t. Wisdom is knowing
the difference and fully understanding this primary question.
Are Meetings Really Necessary?
Inherent as part of our society is the need to come together with others
to share information, make decisions, plan, discuss, talk things over,
argue, question, iron out differences, compare notes, gossip, and much
more. Families, schools, clubs, businesses and governments comprise
groups of men, women and children all coming together for a specific
purpose. All of this means that meeting is a natural function of our
existence.
As humans we need the connection with others to survive. Very few people
chose to be a hermit and seclude themselves from others. Although, I
am sure, like me, many of you reading this may have fantasized about
being alone on a desert island, far away from the trials and tribulations
of everyday life. We also need to belong, communicate and share a common
purpose with likeminded individuals.
The reality is that doing things alone for any length of time is counterproductive.
It is only when we work in partnership with others and pool our resources
that things get done in a more efficient and effective way.
Meetings are becoming even more necessary for people’s survival with
the plethora of entrepreneurs operating from home-based businesses,
employees telecommuting or working endless hours in front of computer
screens. The need for human interaction is critical.
Not to mention the fact that meetings also minimize or eliminate many
of those popular time-wasting activities such as phone tag, unnecessary
e-mails, or volumes of paper.
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But, when we consider the myriads of business meetings that take place
every year, there are many, you know as well as I, which should never
have taken place. Now the $64,000 question is “When to hold a meeting
(and when not to)?
Thirteen Reasons to Hold a Meeting?
Deciding to hold a meeting should be a serious consideration since
there are so many costs involved, direct and indirect – people’s time
and productivity, for example. So, the first thing is for the person
wanting to hold the meeting to determine how necessary it is to meet.
Here is a list of thirteen major reasons people need to meet:
To communicate or request vital information.
When you need a group consensus.
To respond to questions or concerns.
When you need a decision or an evaluation on an issue.
When you need acceptance or support of an idea.
To sell an idea, product or service.
To brainstorm ideas.
To solve a problem, conflict or difference of opinion.
To generate a sense of team spirit.
To provide training or clarification of a project.
To alter perceptions or attitudes.
To provide reassurance on an issue or situation.
To create an awareness or interest in an idea, situation or project.
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Meetings can easily become addictive, so before you schedule another
meeting for the sake of it, check to make sure that you are not meeting
for the wrong reasons. Here are thirteen reasons not to hold a meeting:
When you meet for the sake of meeting – same time, same place, every
week.
When someone’s ego gets in the way and they want to look important
and in control.
When the information could be communicated another way.
When key people are unavailable.
When participants don’t have time to prepare.
When your decision is made and you don’t want any input.
When your decision is controversial and is likely to create resistance.
When the costs are greater than the benefits.
When other issues blur the decision at hand.
When the subject matter is confidential.
When nothing would be gained or lost by not having a meeting.
When you have nothing else to do and want to look busy.
When you want an excuse to get out of the office.
Eight Common Meeting Substitutes
If after careful consideration you decide that your meeting isn’t necessary,
how else can you communicate your thoughts, ideas, or suggestions? Aside
from telepathy and carrier pigeon, here are eight common meeting substitutes:
Arrange a telephone conference call.
Write a memo (no longer than a page).
Write a brief report.
Fax your information.
E-mail your information.
Post the information on your company’s intranet.
Arrange a series of one-on-one discussions.
Do breakfast, lunch or dinner, especially when you want to get to
know the other person better.
What Makes an Effective Meeting?
As I mentioned before, meeting for the sake of meeting is a waste of
time and likely to be totally ineffectual. In addition to the planning
and preparation of any meeting, an important aspect of what makes a
meeting effective, will depend on the perception of the participants.
A person’s perception is their reality, which means that however well
the chairperson feels about the meeting, isn’t necessarily how the participants
feel. In fact, some opinions may well be formed several days or weeks
afterwards, especially, in the case of actions taken, or not taken,
as a result of decisions made at the meeting.
With this in mind let’s address some of the positive feelings people
experience that help label a meeting as effective. Here are ten common
areas:
When participants can share and participate openly.
When wacky/creative ideas are given airtime.
When participants are an integral part of the decision-making process.
When participants feel good about agreed decisions.
When decisions are high quality and will advance a project.
When participants see actions taken as a result of decisions agreed
upon.
When the meeting begins and ends on time.
When all agenda items are covered.
When no one participant is allowed to dominate.
When participants feel united as a group.
What Makes an Ineffective Meeting?
Since we’ve taken time to list the positive aspects, it’s only right
to complete the picture and look at some of the negative perceptions
and opinions. Here are ten common areas:
When a meeting is called because it’s been a while since the previous
meeting.
When a meeting is called just to find out what projects people are
working on.
When a meeting takes up more time than necessary.
When one participant is allowed to dominate the entire meeting.
When the meeting is a one-way dialogue.
When there is no completion and items discussed are left hanging
with no action plan.
When the meeting facilitator allows discussion to ramble on into
unrelated topics.
When wacky/creative ideas are dismissed without a second thought.
When the meeting includes discussion points that aren’t relevant
to the people present.
When to many people attend and the group effectiveness diminishes.
About The Author
Written by Susan A. Friedmann, CSP, The Tradeshow Coach, Lake Placid,
NY, author: “Meeting & Event Planning for Dummies,” working with companies
to improve their meeting and event success through coaching, consulting
and training. Go to: http://www.thetradeshowcoach.com
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