Getting more from meetings

In a previous article I described how meetings can be managed in order to be more productive and valuable. As an executive coach I am frequently asked how, as individuals, we can be more personally effective in meetings and get more out of them.

Tim is working towards equity partnership in a city law firm, “I struggle to make myself heard in meetings with senior partners. They are dominant and loud. I don’t want to talk for the sake of it yet I am considered to be too quiet. How can I make an impact?”

Anna is in her first management role and keen to do well. She is unused to management meetings and lacks confidence in her new role “I am nervous that I won’t be able to answer questions and will appear out of my depth”.

Chris has spent most of his career in the lab but following a recent promotion is expected to attend an increasing number of meetings, “one of the regular project meetings is attended by two particularly difficult senior people who are combative and aggressive. I can’t avoid the meetings but am worried that I won’t keep my cool”.

Tim, Anna and Chris received one-to-one coaching to develop their skills and achieve their specific performance goals utilising their own styles and strengths. But from each case common themes emerge which may be generically useful to others. I would like to share those points with you here.

Before the meeting – Preparation

Be clear as to the purpose of the meeting. What is the agenda? What are your goals: ie., what should you be contributing to the meeting and what do you want to get from it?

Be clear as to the structure of the meeting – timings, running order of agenda items, etc.

Complete the necessary preparation: Gather any material, information, data you may need. Think about what you will say and when you will say it. Be sure to allocate sufficient time in your diary for this activity.

Find out who the other attendees will be.

At the meeting

It may sound trite but be sure to turn up to the meeting on time (how many meetings do you attend which are delayed because of the poor timekeeping of others?). Rushing to get to a meeting, and arriving late can put you under unnecessary stress. Arriving panting and out of breath does not look professional or confident. It is also inconsiderate to others…

According to the formality of the meeting there may be a brief period of time before the meeting starts for “small talk” which gets everyone interacting and “warmed up”. This can be valuable to you in many ways. If you are anxious about speaking in meetings this provides a good opportunity to use your voice.

Get seated and take a short time to arrange your papers in front of you and to “use your space” – use your posture and body language to convey confidence and assertiveness (sit straight and slightly relaxed with arms comfortably in front of you, do not shrink into the chair or lounge around). Look confidently at the other meeting attendees, making good eye contact with them (but don’t stare!)

As you settle into your space, remind yourself of your focus points (ie., what do I want to give and take away from this meeting?). Ideally you will have these goals written down in front of you.

Listen to what is said, taking notes where appropriate, and follow the direction of the Chair (if there is one). Build, constructively, on comments and ideas made by others.

When you wish to make a comment or where it is your “turn” to speak, your prior preparation should ensure that you will be succinct and focused in what you have to say and clear in what you are communicating. If you wish to check that others have understood you, ask them to confirm their understanding or rephrase the point and be explicit in clarifying/agreeing any resulting actions. Be clear about what you are requesting.

Where you find it hard to interject or to make yourself seen or heard in a meeting, a number of tactics can be used ranging from changing your body language (eg., leaning forward, raising your hand, moving your papers, etc) to making a more forceful vocal interjection. Watching others in meetings to see what they do can be instructive in these situations.

Try to ensure that your attention is maintained and that you do not get distracted (at best, when you are bored or distracted, ensure that your body language does not give that away).

If an appropriate place has not been provided in the meeting for you to raise your points ensure that you raise them during the AOB section at the end.

If a meeting becomes heated and you find yourself becoming very angry, anxious or otherwise stressed, paying attention to a relaxed posture and slowing your breathing down can help while you gather your thoughts and refocus on your meeting goals. In more ‘extreme’ situations removing yourself from the situation for a brief period with a ‘comfort break’ can be very valuable in calming you down and thinking through your approach.

Where you feel put “on the spot” without an answer to a question, don’t be tempted to ‘wing it’ and risk getting it wrong. It is usually far better to state confidently that you don’t have that information to hand or that you are seeking clarification on one or two points, and that you will get back to them promptly (state when and be sure to do so!). Check that they are happy with that and ensure you follow up. Where appropriate, make a mental note for next time to enhance your pre-meeting preparation.

Be sure to record accurately any actions you have agreed to undertake.

After the meeting

Ensure that you complete all actions assigned to you fully and on time.
Reflect on your meeting goals and assess the extent to which you have achieved them. If you have not achieved them all in full, think about why that is, and what you will do to correct the situation.

Finally, reflect on your behaviour in the meeting. Does it accurately reflect the professional “you” you aspire to be? If it doesn’t, think about what you can do differently next time. Trusted colleagues can be a useful source of feedback, if you have them.

In short, you must start by being clear about what you want and how you will get it:

Prepare
Focus on your goals
Listen
Behave courteously and assertively
Follow up

If you could do with help in being more effective in meetings get in touch to see how we can help T: 01954 718037 or 07711 503382
E: sarah.jaggers@managingchange.org.uk
W: www.managingchange.org.uk

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** All names and identity-related information in this article have been changed to maintain client confidentiality

© managingchange 2010

Getting better value from business meetings

As an executive coach I frequently hear from clients experiencing problems with meetings: there are too many, they are too long, they are irrelevant, and so on. These complaints usually result from a sense that in a busy day or week, such meetings are an unproductive – and expensive – waste of time.

There are practical things we can do to use meeting time more productively. Here are some key questions that may be used to generate a “meetings audit”:

• Is the meeting necessary?

Many meetings continue to be held through custom or habit but are no longer required. Others are held to provide information or updates which might be better achieved through email, the intranet, etc.

It is useful to review regular meetings periodically to assess (a) that the meeting has a clear purpose; (b) that the purpose of the meeting is still relevant; (c) that attendees understand the purpose of the meeting and their role in it; (d) the content of the meeting and the time it will need. This will help to ensure that the structure and content of the meeting is valid.

• Does the meeting need to be so frequent?

Once you have established the necessity of your regular meetings, the next step is to review their frequency. For example, can the meeting purpose be met with a monthly meeting rather than a bi-weekly one? Equally if a meeting is made more frequent could its duration be reduced?

• How long does the meeting need to be?

In my role as executive coach I frequently shadow individuals and teams in meetings and witness many meetings being poorly managed. Despite having a stated end time, meetings will often stray over because the Chair and attendees are focused on the content – “we have this much to cover and this will dictate how long the meeting lasts”, rather than the time – “we have this much time and this will dictate how we handle the content”.

In most situations we should be looking to keep meetings as short as possible. Certainly we know that for most people optimal concentration time without a break is 45 minutes. Meetings that take considerably longer than an hour without breaks will usually deteriorate in their productivity.

• Do I have to be there?

Once the purpose of the meeting is clear and the role of attendees has been clarified it should be relatively easy to establish whether you should attend. Very often we attend meetings from habit, or because we feel the need to be “in the loop” rather than because we have anything valid to contribute or take away. Alternatively, ask yourself whether you can you delegate attendance to someone else?

• Do I know why I am attending?

If you are invited to a meeting you should know the reason for your attendance, the timings for the meeting, and the agenda. Without this information you cannot prepare appropriately for the meeting. One of the biggest outcomes of poor meetings cultures is that people attend meetings having done no preparation at all – they haven’t had time, they haven’t known what to prepare, and so on. This is not only inefficient but an unnecessary and sometimes stressful burden for people to manage.

• Is the meeting well managed?

This is a critical question and one that, unless we are chairing it ourselves, we feel little control over. Regardless of the formality or informality of our organisation or the meeting itself, meetings need to be managed in order to be a valuable use of everyone’s time. A well managed meeting will include:

• A clear agenda
• Clear start and end times which are adhered to
• To be scheduled such that attendees have time to prepare for the meeting
• Time allocated to each agenda item and managed accordingly
• Balanced contributions from all attendees without some individuals dominating proceedings or others being unable to get a word in

By thinking about the meetings we have and periodically appraising their value, purpose and structure we can do a lot to make meetings more productive and relevant. Conduct your own ‘Meetings Audit’ and see how much the performance of your meetings is improved.

If you or your organisation could do with help in optimising the value of meetings get in touch to see how we can help T: 01954 718037 or 07711 503382
E: sarah.jaggers@managingchange.org.uk
W: www.managingchange.org.uk

(c) managingchange 2010