Meeting Management Essential

Our staff meetings are scheduled to last an hour but almost always go over time. That would be OK if we were accomplishing something. Instead, someone brings up a petty gripe, we spend the next uncomfortable hour discussing it, and all we gain is a bunch of upset people. There's not enough time to deal with the things that should be addressed at staff meetings, creating another set of problems. How can we make our meetings more productive?

Poor meeting management afflicts many workplaces and it sounds like yours is no exception. While staff meetings can be a place to review employee concerns they shouldn't turn into gripe sessions. Answer these questions to get your meetings on the right track.

What's the purpose of the meeting? Most meetings fall in one or more of five categories: 1) problem-solving and planning; 2) education and training; 3) team building; 4) conflict resolution; 5) social development. You can't do it all in an hour so be realistic about what you can accomplish at each meeting.

Are you using an agenda? An agenda tells what's going to happen at the meeting. Solicit agenda items from staff so legitimate concerns aren't missed and publish the agenda in advance of the meeting whenever possible. Including beginning and ending times and times for each item will help keep the group on track. If an issue is brought up that's not on the agenda, determine together how to address it — now or can it be deferred to another time or another forum.

Who's assigned meeting responsibilities? Someone needs to create the agenda, facilitate the meeting, act as a time keeper and provide a group memory system (flip chart, minutes, etc.) The facilitator and time keeper help the group refocus if they start to get sidetracked by someone's griping. Rotating these responsibilities will give everyone ownership for making meetings productive.

Ground rules set boundaries and create an environment where people can participate in a safe and meaningful way. Effective ground rules include: One person speaks at a time; no sidebars; come prepared; be on time; address only agenda items unless agree to add new items. Certain kinds of meetings, such as those focused on conflict resolution, may require additional ground rules to be determined at the beginning of the meeting.

Productive meetings result from using tools that invite participation and keep people focused on the issues as hand.