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3.4 | What have you learned from / observed around making your meetings more effective?
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I’ve spent the last few weeks really observing and understanding how are meetings work. I have yet to implement any changes, but I have many thoughts and ideas for how to improve. Overall, the key pieces that need improvement are (1) clear agenda/goals (2) organized next steps and (3) appropriate attendees or cascades to folks who are not in attendance. My goal is to start slowly with the meetings that I own and then move on to larger meetings I participate in.
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Setting an umbrella agenda with tines that are open to collaboration. Once they are set, taking quiet time to allow each member to say their piece and all this prior to discussion. Also, beginning with the end. ex: we are designing a new way to help people eat well on the plane.
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I am learning that planning is essential abut it comes with a balance around spontaneity and surrender expectations as well. There are tools and work that needs to be done in order to be more effective but ultimately there is this understanding of the many variables at place and that sometimes even a well planned meeting needs to be moved around a bit to reflect participants reality so that the team may come up with solutions and awareness to problem-solve moving forward.
The work around effectiveness of meetings is very important but if I find myself overthinking I know I can go on the other extreme of focusing on effectiveness and forgetting to be present with others and my role as a leader. If I can’t do anything about a meeting that seems to be highly ineffective I know I need to be even more responsible with my own mindfulness practice before the meeting to just accept it for what it is or else my urge to change things rather than be the change myself has me out of touch with reality and acting from a place of non-acceptance which isn’t helpful.
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I fear I have had a difficult time applying these concepts to my current work situation.
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I believe that making meetings more effective is an ongoing goal/process. I have been leading meetings for years. I appreciate the Depend on others chapter discussion on this. It is valuable/helpful to identify the type of meeting and prepare beforehand. Often an agenda is helpful; however, for some meetings unnecessary. For example, if a meeting is called to problem solve a certain event or incident that all members are familiar with a written agenda is not necessary because everyone knows why we are meeting. But my experience as a group therapist and family therapist has trained me to always take a moment at the outset to identify and summarize the purpose of the meeting. Whether process oriented or task operationally oriented or contract review it is essential for the leader to identify the reason for meeting and then proceed.
I recently revised the format of a large interdepartmental meeting that I chair; I asked for and included feedback from all members; and then integrated it into this new framework which is more inclusive and wholistic and provides information to all parties! I was pleasantly surprised at how positive this new Teams format is working out…everyone is benefitting. To do this, I was forced to learn something new….be open to learning about TEAMS and learn how to work with it and use it. I have resisted the new IT electronic programs but really moving to a TEAMS format for this project was the best thing I could have done…I am glad I allowed my self to learn something new and try something new. -
I am not currently working in an organization so my frame of what a meeting is is in a sweet spot where I am feeling spacious about reflecting on past meetings I have participated in and how I would like to move forward in the creation of meetings. I have enjoyed the Pria Parker book around gathering intentionally and with heart and meaning. I am finding this field of emergent heart connection and clarity with self and other in the work place and all places hopeful and radical.
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I feel pretty good about our meeting culture. We encourage conversations over presentations, while still getting the business done. Now that I have a stronger staff, it’s been fun delegating more control and seeing how each person adapts our norms when they are in the lead. At the moment I’m more challenged by meetings with partner organizations, where it can be awkward to seem to criticize the way things are done.
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Much of what we discussed around making my meetings more effective are practices already instilled (having a clear agenda, with a clear purpose and facilitator, ensuring we have clear action items and follow-ups). That said, I’ve experimented with ways to bring our team closer together—connected as individuals. The timing was ideal since we were having a team retreat. I started us out with a 90 second mindfulness meditation. And, we took time (through workshops) to understand what energizes and depletes each of us. These sessions were free of our normal agendas and meeting flows, which created a helpful new energy within our shared space. Moving forward, I’d like to focus ever-more on closing the loop—circling back to ‘parking lot’ ideas or action items we discussed in meetings, while also creating separate meeting spaces that are specifically for connection, or creativity, or another area of ‘playful’ focus.
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I have been unable to work lately, and haven’t had an opportunity to put these ideas into active practice. That said, I look forward to doing this when I can meet with my team again, and in particular, focussing on psychological safety—both extending it for those who report to me, and recognizing when I may be holding back due to a lack of psychological safety among others.
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I’ve observed some meetings that fall short on preparation, facilitation or follow up. This has helped me provide constructive feedback where needed, or adjust my own approach and contribution to meetings.
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I think of myself as a good facilitator and still I feel I have so much to learn about creating psychological safety. I am very intentional about meetings and show my care by planning in advance but I focus so much about moving things forward that I wonder if I sacrifice making sure that all members feel seen. I will be diving in deeper about how to help build psychological safety in my organization.
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There is still a lot of work to be done, particularly in ensuring everyone understands the goal of the meeting and shows up prepared (including myself). Things that are going well – roles are well defined and everyone in attendance has a purpose. Something I’ve found interesting is psychological safety seems to work like a fuel tank and sometimes the group feels full, and other times we’re running on empty. I’m always discovering new ways to fuel up or uncovering things that might drain the tank.
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I now always invite a co-facilitator to join me (like Nikki and Marc)- without fail. It makes a powerful difference for me, and it helps to empower others to feel ownership in a meeting’s success. thank you so much for this idea!
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I learned to prepare for a meeting more effectively but also, in the meeting, to practice active listing and “improvisational” skills that prioritize trust, forward-thinking, and building off of each other’s ideas. I feel more present when I go into a meeting with an “improv” mindset.
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Individually I inhabit a fairly unique space professionally. My day to day resembles that of a dentist more than it does anything else: a series of asymmetric 1:1 meetings with individuals (or sometimes small groups) all of which are generally disconnected from each other. More importantly, as an executive coach running an effective meeting is an intrinsic part of what I do. If I couldn’t model at least that, what reason would there be for anyone to hire me? None of this is to say that I run a perfect 10/10 meeting every time, everyday. And this renewed focus on meeting hygiene has caused me to take better account of key meeting principles that I’d neglected lately: does this need to be said? Does it need to be said right now? Am I the one who needs to say it? Since this chapter of our work in the MLT, I find myself stating things far less, being more self aware and tending to ask more. And, most importantly, to ask more incisive questions.
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