EFFECTIVE TEAM MEETINGS:Better Meetings, Meeting Roles, Meeting Room Facilities

<< MANAGING/LEADING VIRTUAL TEAMS:Communications in Virtual Organizations, Virtual Leadership

LEADING TEAM:Team Leadership Structures, Leadership Demands and Duties, Leadership Direction >>

Leadership & Team Management MGMT 623

Lecture 37

EFFECTIVE TEAM MEETINGS

Team Meetings

Team meetings keep members informed and provide a forum for problem solving, decision-making,

and innovation. Meetings, when productive, are also one of the primary ways to develop team member

relationships, enthusiasm, and spirit.

Effective Meetings at Work: Focused, Crisp and Short

Why Do We Love Meetings?

o Get full attention

o Learn Things

o Uncover Information

o Follow-up questions can be answered right away

o Full Review of material/activities

o Efficient form of decision making

o Accountability

o Opportunity to prepare

Why Do We Hate Meetings?

o Technology is not helping, videoconferencing too expensive, teleconferencing is inadequate

o Virtual teams need better tools

o No clear purpose

o Attendees come unprepared

o Meeting overload

o Outlook/Time Tracker not used consistently

o No agenda

o Too much time wasted

Do We Need to Meet?

o The purpose of a meeting is...... to utilize the talents of all present? Share Info?

o You get feedback from all

o Who decides to meet?

o Who needs to be there?

o Which meetings can we eliminate?

o What are the alternatives to meetings?

Types of Meetings

o Leadership/Management: to review the overall organization performance, setting up new

goals and targets, headed by CEO, or Chairman.

o Department Specific: to review the departmental performance, headed by the head of

department.

o Project Management: to review the overall project performance, headed by Project Director

or Project Manager.

o Other Meetings

o Quarterly Business Review: to review the quarterly progress report of all the

departments in the organization.

o Client Specific: to meet with specific client/customer to discuss the business matters

etc.

o Functional Team: meeting with in the department between different teams exist in one

department.

o Special Project: meeting on special project

o Performance Review (1-1): to review the performance

Others: a number of unscheduled meetings has also arranged on different level of organization.

157

Leadership & Team Management MGMT 623

Meeting Techniques:

o Ask yourself, "Is this meeting really necessary?"

o Have a goal for the meeting. What do you want to accomplish?

o Have an agenda with clearly stated items and the amount of time to be allotted each one. Send

out the agenda at least one day ahead of the meeting.

o Limit attendance and appoint a leader.

o Stay focused on the agenda. If a new topic is introduced, add it to the list of future agenda items

or negotiate with the group if it should be discussed now. Have a clock in the room.

o Strive to get everyone involved in the discussion, avoid domination by one or two members.

o Foster rigorous debate and brainstorming, while respecting each other's opinions.

o Use visual aids. Have a flip chart and use it.

o Keep minutes of the key points raised and actions to be taken, then follow up.

o Do a two-minute evaluation of the meeting. Ask everyone what went well... what could be

improved.

Better Meetings

o Preparing for the meeting

� What's the purpose of the meeting?

� Suggest an agenda

� Send in advance

� Invite revisions

o Listening

� In most cases, spend most of your time on listening.

� Ask questions to guide the meeting and to insure that soft-spoken contributors are

heard

� Help moderate the dominating non-contributors

Concluding

� Summarize key accomplishments of the meeting

� Note next steps

� Assess how you might improve next time

Meeting Roles

Primary facilitator

� Responsible for organizing the meeting and guiding the execution.

� Writes the agenda describing objective and scope of meeting.

� Distribute the agenda to the meeting participants

Minute taker

� Responsible for recording the meeting.

� Identifies action items and issues

� Release them to the participants

Time keeper

� Responsible for keeping track of time

The Meeting Process

o Plan

o Start

o Conduct

o Close

o Follow Up

Planning Meetings

Objectives

� Idea and purpose of the meeting should clearly define. And conveyed to the all

participants.

158

Leadership & Team Management MGMT 623

o Participants and assignments

� Who should attend the meeting? Meeting member with the organization. In case of

external member, informed him before the time.

� Advance preparation, if any

Agenda

� Necessary activities related with meeting

� Prioritize the activities.

Date, Time, and Place

� Optimal time of day, which will be given by the chair of the meeting

� Maximum length of meeting

� Logistics and technology

Leadership: who will chair the meeting? CEO, departmental heads.

Written plan

� Advance distribution to attendees of the four items listed above

The Meeting Process: Planning

�

Ensure all team members are aware of meeting time and location address possible

barriers to attendance.

�

Reserve meeting room before the meeting.

�

Prepare materials for each participant equally.

�

Follow-though on commitments made at last team meeting

Before the Meeting

�

Set agenda in advance and distribute: Have a clear agenda -- and stick to it. Watch out

for tangents or brainstorming at the wrong times. Keep track of side issues for later

discussion

� Confirm attendance or early regrets

� Contribute to agenda in advance

� Prepare your discussion items

� Read draft materials to be discussed

� Bring all relevant materials

� Arrive 5 minutes before meeting

�

Identify each type of issue on agenda

� FYI -- Communicate

� BS -- Brainstorming

� PS -- Problem Solving

� DECIDE -- Decision needed

Role of Team Members

� Contribute agenda items

� Contribute to discussions

� Practice & encourage active listening

� Follow through on tasks of Partnership Agreement

� Share appropriate information with co-workers

Tips and Tricks Before Meeting

� Know your audience/participants

� Know your agenda/topics

� Know the objectives you want to achieve

� Do the homework before meeting

� Know the room/seating arrangements

� Feel good about how you look

� Assign time frames and discussion leader to each item

� Updates on decision taken during previous/last meeting (action taken)

159

Leadership & Team Management MGMT 623

The Meeting Process: Start

� Arrive early

� Set up the room

� Greet team members

� Reach consensus on an agenda

� Set or review team rules

� Begin within a few minutes of scheduled start time

The Meeting Process: Conduct

� Cover one agenda item at a time

� Manage discussions

� Maintain focus and pace

� Address and work through conflicts

The Meeting Process: Close

� Summarize decisions

� Review action items & discuss "homework"

� Schedule next meeting(s)

� Evaluate the meeting

� Thank team members

The Meeting Process: Follow Up

� Distribute meeting notes/minutes promptly

� Fill agendas, notes, and other documents

� Follow-through on activities

Meeting Length and Frequency

Things to try:

� Shorter meetings

� More frequent meetings

� Cut meetings short if necessary, and reconvene later

Meeting Room Facilities

Audiovisual

A computer of the appropriate spec

Intranet and internet access

A projector/Multimedia

Video Conferencing (if required)

Seating arrangement should suit the purpose of the meeting

Auditorium-style to promote efficient one-way information delivery

In the round to encourage cross-team communication

Virtual Team Meetings

� Include all participants as facilitators and discussion initiators

� Ask specifically to each remote member to contribute

� Be sensitive to time zone issues, vary times

� Technology must be the best as possible

Video-conferencing, teleconferencing

� Build in social time before and after scheduled work meeting

� Include recognition of key efforts out in all locations

� Schedule special events when teammates get together face to face

160

Table of Contents: