For most of us, the thought of yet another meeting elicits either a yawn or a groan. Yet when they work, meetings are highly productive in terms of both getting work done and strengthening relationships. In this Fast Company article, Stephanie Vozza explains how you can significantly increase the value of the meetings you facilitate.
- Look for verbal and nonverbal cues: You know when people are bored, and when they are engaged. Look for signs of engagement—leaning in, note taking, questions—and extend it.
- Create a culture of collaboration: Extend the engagement through collaboration. Co-creation is not only highly successful, it contributes to lowered resistance.
- Have a flexible agenda: If your agenda is perfectly timed out, you may end the meeting on time having covered everything, but will you have far from the perfect outcome. A tight agenda does not allow for extending engagement.
- Capture the “gold:” What brought people on board? Capture it, and follow up on it. Look for additional opportunities to bring “gold” to your next meeting.
I add a few more when I am facilitating a meeting.
- Have a clear intent: I, and those attending, should be clear about why we are meeting and what our roles are in the meeting. For example, if a decision is to be made, will we make it by consensus, by majority opinion, or are participants informing a decision I will be making?
- If I can read it, send it to me: I don’t use meetings for people to “report out.” Distribute reports in advance of the meeting so that we can spend our time together collaborating on whatever the reports tell us needs to be addressed.
- Minimize the size: No meeting (no committee, no working group, etc.) should have more people than are needed to achieve the intent. There is a reason each person is in the room. And, there is a serious question as to whether to proceed when someone is unable to attend.
Applying these practices can move your meetings to greater levels of productivity, and those you meet with to greater levels of appreciation.
New articles that we post to our blog are announced in the Change Management Weekly, our digest of actionable insights for change delivered to your Inbox every Tuesday. To claim your free subscription, click here:
Share With Your Colleagues
About the Author: Brian Gorman
Brian Gorman is the Managing Editor of Change Management Review™. In this capacity he regularly curates articles of importance to our readership; contributes original writing; hosts podcasts; and works with guest authors.
For more than five decades Brian has been engaged in—and a student of—change at the personal, organizational, and societal levels. During this time, he has worked with both individuals and organizations (ranging from solo practitioners to Fortune 100 businesses), guiding them through a wide array of challenges. Decades of experience have given him a deep appreciation of the universal patterns that underlie successfully navigating even the most difficult changes.
In addition to his work as our Managing Editor, Brian is a transformation coach, supporting both individual and organizational change. Brian is committed to passing his “lessons learned” on to others, so that their change journeys can advance more smoothly. He is a frequent workshop facilitator and public speaker. Brian is the author of “The Hero and the Sherpa,” a chapter in the online Handbook of Personal and Organizational Transformation (Springer Publishing; Judi Neal, Editor). He also has an extensive library of blog posts, articles, and videos on the change journey, including “The Ten Most Important Lessons I Have Learned Over 50 Years of Engaging Change.”
Mr. Gorman’s formal education includes a BA in Cultural Anthropology from Syracuse University, an MA in Higher Education Administration from the University of Texas, San Antonio and an MA in Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma.
Brian is an International Coach Federation (ICF) certified coach, and is an active member in the New York City chapter. Brian is also a member of the Forbes Coaches Council and the Gay Coaches Alliance.
Related Posts
About the Author: Brian Gorman
Brian Gorman is the Managing Editor of Change Management Review™. In this capacity he regularly curates articles of importance to our readership; contributes original writing; hosts podcasts; and works with guest authors.
For more than five decades Brian has been engaged in—and a student of—change at the personal, organizational, and societal levels. During this time, he has worked with both individuals and organizations (ranging from solo practitioners to Fortune 100 businesses), guiding them through a wide array of challenges. Decades of experience have given him a deep appreciation of the universal patterns that underlie successfully navigating even the most difficult changes.
In addition to his work as our Managing Editor, Brian is a transformation coach, supporting both individual and organizational change. Brian is committed to passing his “lessons learned” on to others, so that their change journeys can advance more smoothly. He is a frequent workshop facilitator and public speaker. Brian is the author of “The Hero and the Sherpa,” a chapter in the online Handbook of Personal and Organizational Transformation (Springer Publishing; Judi Neal, Editor). He also has an extensive library of blog posts, articles, and videos on the change journey, including “The Ten Most Important Lessons I Have Learned Over 50 Years of Engaging Change.”
Mr. Gorman’s formal education includes a BA in Cultural Anthropology from Syracuse University, an MA in Higher Education Administration from the University of Texas, San Antonio and an MA in Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma.
Brian is an International Coach Federation (ICF) certified coach, and is an active member in the New York City chapter. Brian is also a member of the Forbes Coaches Council and the Gay Coaches Alliance.
