A.         Poorly planned, executed and attended staff meetings are perhaps one of the single biggest timewasters around.  Depending on the location and the level of participants some meetings can cost an organisation up to $100k in real costs.  Regardless of the level of investment required to run a meeting, people’s time is one of their most precious commodities.  We only have so much of it and once wasted, you can’t get it back.  Here are some pointers to make sure your meetings are effective.

·          Do I really need to have a meeting – can the information be shared more effectively another way?

·          Who do I need to have in the meeting - do I have the necessary skills, experience or authority in the room?

·          Is there a clear agenda – outlining what’s being discussed, including the resolutions being sought and providing any relevant supporting documentation?  Keep it simple.  One effective staff meeting structure is Keep Doing, Stop Doing & Start Doing.  A review of staff input against each of these three points makes for a very focused meeting that doesn’t go on for ages and also has clear outcomes or actions.

·          Manage the agenda – get permission up front to interrupt people if they are getting off point or taking too much time.  Make sure you stick to the times advertised on the agenda.  People will appreciate that you respect their time.

·          Don’t bring a late arrival up to speed during the meeting – the message you’re then sending is that everyone else’s time is not valuable and it’s okay to be late.   Instead try “Thanks for joining us Fred, we’re up to point 3 on the agenda, I’ll bring you up to speed on the earlier points after the meeting.”

As the Chair of the meeting it is your responsibility to make sure everyone is involved.  There could be a number of issues preventing involvement that includes shyness, a lack of preparation, dominant individuals hijacking the discussion, or even staff simply being over awed by the level of others at the meeting. 

As the chair you could simply ask specific individuals for their input, but be careful not to make people uncomfortable by putting them on the spot.  Asking a specific question that acknowledges an individuals expertise, ideas or contribution helps a shy person to feel more comfortable and contribute better.  Brainstorming is a good way to stimulate the flow of ideas, and it also allows for the more reflective individuals in your group to think about and write their ideas down before sharing them with the group.  Sharing responsibility for meeting leadership can also get more reserved individuals to contribute and provides a development opportunity for your team.  If a member of your meeting is not a good public speaker, help them out by summarising their key points (make sure you don’t speak over or interrupt them though or all your good work will be undone).  As chair you must take control of the long-winded speaker.   Setting ground rules up front is the easiest way to manage errant speakers.  “Excuse me George, I hate to interrupt you but I need to remind you of the time allocated to each speaker.  You only have 2 minutes remaining.”  Or “George that’s an interesting point you make there, thank you.  Fiona, what do you think of the venue arrangements for the launch?”