Got A Meeting Planned? Ask This Question

Meetings ? they are a fact of our business lives. And while the number of meetings and the amount of time you spend in them may vary based on your job title, it is hard to argue that they are a significant part of business life today.

Anything that consumes a major chunk of our time is ripe for analysis and is likely a great source of productivity improvement. And meetings are no exception.

Even a casual conversation about business life will soon get to the frustrations and challenges people experience in meetings. You will quickly hear things like:

"They are such a waste of time."

"We never seem to finish anything."

"We just spend too much time in meetings."

"How can I get my work done when I spend all my time in meetings?"

"I'm not sure why I was at that meeting."

I'll bet you've said or thought one or more of these things yourself.

In my experience, there are several questions we can ask to help improve the effectiveness of our meetings. But one of those should clearly come first. It is the question we should ask at the very start of planning any meeting. Answering this question carefully is the fastest way to improve our meetings.

The First Question

Do we need a meeting?

Too often people don't ask this question. They have information to share, a problem to solve, or a question to consider and so they do what they always do ? they schedule a meeting. We do this for many reasons, including:

- Wanting everyone to be involved

- Not wanting someone to feel left out

- Wanting everyone to buy-in to the results of the meeting

And the most common reason, habit.

We schedule meetings because that is what we have always done.

How to Answer the Question

The first hurdle is to ask the question. Once you have asked yourself the question, you need to know what to consider when answering the question. Think about:

? Geographic location of information/participants. If your whole group is located together this is less of an issue, but it is a definite consideration if your people are spread out or travel regularly.

? Number of people affected. If the number of people affected by the issue or information is really large, the method of sharing information might be different, alternatively if the number affected is small, getting them together might be the best answer.

? Complexity of the issue. If the issue you are thinking about meeting on is very complex or highly emotionally charged, then you probably want to get people together. Issues that are more simple might require less or a different form of input ? meaning that a meeting might not be required.

? Goals ? is this one-way information sharing? Many meetings end up being one way information sharing. If that is the case for your meeting, you might consider other ways of disseminating the information. If you really want dialogue or conversation about what is being shared, then a meeting is more likely your best option.

? Need for independent thought from individuals. While meetings give us the chance to discuss things openly and thoroughly, sometimes stronger individuals in a meeting will dominate. If you really want each person's input independently, you might substitute one-on-one meetings for your originally conceived group meeting.

? Cost. The costs of having a meeting are huge. And no, I'm not talking about the coffee and donuts. When you consider the real cost of putting people in the conference room (calculate this by estimating the cost/hour/person in the room) you will be shocked. This factor alone can help us really think more carefully about whether a meeting is our best option.

Other Options

Asking this question may lead us to having fewer meetings, but the need that prompted the question still exists. So if you have a need but have determined not to have a meeting, how do you meet you need?

You can always have face-to-face one-one one conversations, use email or voice mail, or even have phone calls with people if you can't catch them face to face. Each of these options gives you ways to share information, and to request input in return.

Final Thoughts

Meetings while sometimes tedious and not as effective as we would like, are an amazing tool for getting work done. Asking this initial question - Do we need a meeting? ? is one of the single best things we can do to improve the success and productivity from our meetings.

Discipline yourself to ask this question every time you start to schedule a meeting.

Kevin Eikenberry is a leadership expert and the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group (http://KevinEikenberry.com), a learning consulting company. To receive a free Special Report on leadership that includes resources, ideas, and advice go to http://www.kevineikenberry.com/leadership.asp or call us at (317) 387-1424 or 888.LEARNER.

In The News:

---

Are You Using the Right Form of Energy?

As we near the end of summer, here is a... Read More

Character: Is It Necessary In Leadership? (Part One)

We know character when we see it, but what exactly... Read More

Action Learning: Its More Than OJT

For centuries companies have used on-the-job training (OJT). OJT works... Read More

Change Behaviors, Change Performance

Every organization is looking for the holy grail of performance... Read More

Recruitment - Pick People Who Think

Old style management doesn't encourage personal mind control, employees aren't... Read More

Group Meeting Disrupters

MEETING DISRUPTERS: If two participants are carrying on a personal... Read More

Executive Performance -- Whos to Blame for Incompetent Managers?

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal raised the... Read More

Setting Direction Within an Organization

FINDING DIRECTION: An organization can't succeed without direction. Direction means... Read More

Firing Someone Without Resentment

Firing, sacking, letting go or terminating people is unpleasant. There... Read More

Climb out of the Box - How to Hold Effective Meetings

Out of the box thinking is a popular fad today.... Read More

Déjà Vu MCI to Qwest International Inc: Can this Corporate Marriage Survive?

Current Situation:As of this writing, the MCI Board of Governors... Read More

Office Politics

Office politics! It's just another way of saying: "The employees... Read More

Project Management - Preventing Project Slips

Can Project Managers prevent projects from slipping?Ask a techie to... Read More

The New Economy

This technological revolution has organization, efficiency and productivity requirements well... Read More

A Comprehensive Sarbanes Oxley Act Summary

Individual and corporate security stand in the center of the... Read More

Interviewing: How to Stay Out of legal Hot Water

Some interviewers ask great questions; others ask dumb questions; and,... Read More

Cultural Differences: Making it Work Virtually

Working virtually adds a whole new dimension to the phrase... Read More

Be a Change Agent ( Part 1)

Aligning business organizations to be successful in the present and... Read More

Spinning Gold from Straw: Low-Cost Employee Retention and Motivation Tools in a Changing Economy

New York, NY, February 25, 2005 ? Employee retention and... Read More

Managing YOUR Expectations

I sit on the board of an organization and at... Read More

Creativity and Innovation Management: Incubation and Insight

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Business Intelligence & Data Warehousing in a Business Perspective

Business IntelligenceBusiness Intelligence has become a very important activity in... Read More

Problem-Solving Success Tip: Look For Sponsors And Solution Owners

Look for sponsors and solution owners rather than problem owners.Everyone... Read More

Managing Client Relationships

Managing Client Relationships: Even the best run organizations occasionally run... Read More

Poor Employee Performance: How to Deal

KEEP WRITTEN RECORDS: "Document !Document! Document!" Keep a record of... Read More

10 Ways To Maintain Profits In A Slow Economy

1. Sell more back end products to your existing customer... Read More

Innovation Management: Radical Innovation

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Human Resources: The Misidentified Subject

Interest in the field of human resources has exploded in... Read More

The Devil We Know

"I'm in an abusive relationship," sighed Andrew. "My bookkeeper annoys... Read More

Designing Your Healthy Administration - A Management Overview

Management or Leadership?Simply stated, management ensures that things get done,... Read More

Effective Ways to Give Performance Feedback

Consequences of Not Giving Effective FeedbackLet's take a look at... Read More

Try It Out On Your Team First

Wow! You're brilliant! You have a great idea. You've looked... Read More

Internal Prisons: The Thief of Productivity and Quality in our Workforce

As a professional speaker, one of my biggest challenges is... Read More