Stop The Meeting Madness

Who wouldn’t say that meetings suck up hours of potentially productive work time? Let’s face it, there are just too many meetings and most are just too long! For those who feel like their meetings are like Déjà vu all over again and don’t contribute to what is needed to deliver excellence in your core business, there are antidotes. The following will have you saying at the end of the day, “What we did was valuable and we are measurably better now than at the beginning of the day.” Antidotes to Meeting Madness

1. Be bold. Cancel half of the meetings currently on your calendar. Keep only the ones that have clear objectives and outcomes that are directly aligned with making progress towards key business results.
2. Focus on the beginning and end. Start each meeting by asking: “What do we want to have happen as a result of this meeting?” and close each meeting by asking “Did we achieve what we planned to achieve?”
3. Stick to the clock. Always start on time and finish early or on time.
4. Set clear expectations. Have an agenda and stick to it.
5. Create Accountability. Ensure all team members are able to get feedback on steps 2-4 above. 6. Conduct The 3-Minute Meeting™

• Instead of sitting around in long meetings, shift your emphasis to frequent 3-minute meetings among teams or employee groups.
• Three minute meetings are designed to help people talk about an accomplishment and how they were able to achieve the accomplishment.
• Employees who talk about what they do that leads to success help others know what they need to say and do to achieve success. It helps others proactively change what we do rather than reactively respond to fires that were often the result of a passive approach to change in the first place.

In addition to applying the antidotes above, conclude each meeting with a value question: discuss the value of the meeting in objective and specific terms. An honest feedback loop during this process helps the group improve future meetings and reminds them what needs to be in place to ensure future successful meetings. Who manages your day anyway? It’s time to take control of the meetings that are put on your calendar and avoid firefighting and having to deal with things beyond your control. Using these antidotes will help you create a proactive approach to meetings and to help you avoid the traps and pitfalls that inadvertently surround you. Don’t just let things happen; Plan your success! The choice is yours.