Complete Toolkit for Improving Meetings

PURPOSE, USE & BENEFITS

Meeting efficiency & effectiveness is critical to improve the way to conduct a business

Purpose

This Meetings Toolkit has been complied to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Meetings These tools and templates have been designed using direct feedback from many different businesses about the structure and culture of meetings

Previous learnings and existing tools have been leveraged from the business, where relevant

This is

Usea only

partial view of the full presentation. For further details and download However, from a practical perspective, you should use these tools and templates for all larger, recurring meetings (for both process and departmental meetings) and when it please goto: www.straticx.com/store.html makes sense for other smaller or ad hoc meetings
At a minimum, most meetings should have a TOR and an Action Log

Best practice would be to use these tools and templates for all meetings

Benefits

Better desired outcomes, making meetings work harder for you

More efficient meetings translates into less time spent in meetings with more time to do

MEETING EFFICIENCY & EFFECTIVENESS

Poor meeting culture is often the core reason for ineffective meetings

Why do our meetings typically go wrong?

No clear objective or agenda Lack of preparation Too many or the wrong people

Why do we need better meetings?

Effective meetings are an essential requirement for managing business performance Effective meetings are critical for monitoring and sustaining performance

start orview run out of This is only a Late partial oftime the full presentation. For further details and download Poorly run meetings are a Interruptions or poor behavior please goto: www.straticx.com/store.html tremendous source of lost-time and

Confrontational behavior and conflict

No actions assigned Actions not completed Trying to solve the issue in the meeting

frustration for many organisations

Meetings are an opportunity to build cohesive teams

Meetings are the time to drive results, remove barriers and escalate issues

MEETING EFFICIENCY & EFFECTIVENESS

Best practice meetings should align with The 40 -20-40 Rule

Preparation (40%)
Prepare and distribute TOR and agenda Agree and assign key roles for the meeting Owner, Chairperson, Scribe and Coach

Execution (20%)
Everyone is responsible for an efficient & effective meeting, not just the Chairperson Be clear on the roles & responsibilities of each person in the meeting Review the TOR and agenda

Follow-Up (40%)
Update the electronic action log on a shared common drive within a day of the meeting People are responsible for actioning their own action items by the due date and updating the electronic action log

The latest action log should be This is only a partial view of the full the presentation. Review action log from last For further details and download reviewed at the beginning of next Complete due action items and meeting meeting please goto: www.straticx.com/store.html update the electronic action log Prepare and distribute any prereading documents with executive summaries Read the pre-reading and clarify issues beforehand Recap on the agreed Ground Rules for the meeting and follow them Highlight any overdue action items Review completed action items since last meeting, as required

Use the agenda to review the list of required versus optional attendees

The scribe should update the action log as issues arise and review with attendees at the end A meeting Coach should be present for key meetings to track meeting performance

TORs & AGENDA

TERMS OF REFERENCE [INSERT MEETING NAME]

MEETING NAME: FREQUENCY: DATE/ TIME: DURATION: LOCATION: [Is the name descriptive enough?] .. ../ .. .. minutes .. PURPOSE OF THIS MEETING: To [insert a verb eg. agree, inform, align] To .. To ..

REQUIRED ATTENDEES: .. (Owner) .. (Chairperson) .. (Scribe) .. (Coach) .. ..

AGENDA: 1. [Insert a high-level/ generic here please note that a more detailed agenda template can be found on the next slide to be used as required] 2. ..

OPTIONAL ATTENDEES: This .. is only a partial view of the full presentation. For further details and download please goto: www.straticx.com/store.html MEETING BEHAVIOURAL GUIDELINES: Respect each other start on time, finish on time Listen & value each others contributions Challenge the issue, not the person Clarify each attendees role & responsibility Define purpose, agenda & expected outcomes Use executive summaries, send pre-reads in advance Come prepared pre-read & clarify issues beforehand Keep on topic, focus on the agenda Align the rest of the team before/ after the meeting, not in it Use the action log, assign responsibilities & timings Commit to completing action items with urgency Mobiles on silent, laptops only when related to meeting

INPUTS: Action log [What do people need to prepare before this meeting to achieve the expected outcomes?]

EXPECTED OUTCOMES: [What do you need from this meeting? Should be linked to the purpose/s and used to drive discussion] To [insert a verb eg. agree, inform, align] To ..

TORs & AGENDA

There are a number of best practice guidelines to follow when creating Agendas for your meetings

Ultimately the Meeting Owner is responsible for finalising the Agenda, however they may ask participants to pre-populate agendas before meetings on a shared drive Allocate a set time for each item to help keep meeting on track Identify the type of agenda item to be presented, leading to the expected outcomes: INF: To inform items will be a distribution of information only

To align input is desired, be prepared to share ideas and views This is only a ALI: partial view of the full presentation. For further details and download AGR: To agree following discussion/ presentations, attendees and key stakeholders please goto: www.straticx.com/store.html will be invited to contribute to decision making process Avoid any new business, get people in the habit of providing agenda items and any prereading material ahead of time

ROLES & RESONSIBILITIES

At a minimum, each meeting needs to have an Owner, Chairperson & Scribe

The leader of the meeting Presents the TOR and agenda at the start of the meeting Recaps and agrees that everyone is accountable to the agreed behavioural guidelines
The Meeting Owner & Chairperson may Objectively facilitates the meeting be the same person, depending on the size of the meeting Manages the agenda during the meeting Tracks the time against the agenda Assigns a dedicated Scribe and Coach Steers the conversation focuses on the agenda, takes other discussions offline Distributes pre-reading 2 days in advance including the TOR and agenda Presents and reviews the Action Log at the start of each meeting

Meeting Owner

To Lead

Chairperson

To Facilitate

This is only a partial view of the full presentation. For further details and download please goto: www.straticx.com/store.html
Scribe To Record Actions Records all actions, decisions and resolutions during meeting Updates the Action Log throughout the meeting Distributes the updated Action Log to all participants within a day of the meeting via a shared electronic drive Presents and reviews the Action Log at the end of each meeting

Coach

To Measure & Track Performance

Evaluates the meeting using the standard Meeting Scorecard Tracks the meetings performance over time Provides feedback on meeting performance to Meeting Owners and attendees Initially this role will be fulfilled by HR, with coaching role assigned to individual attendees over time

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of contents

Purpose, Use & Benefits of this Meetings Toolkit

Meeting Efficiency & Effectiveness

Terms of Reference & Agendas

Roles & Responsibilities

Behavioural Guidelines
Pre-Reading & Presentation Guidelines

only Length of Meeting Times This is a partial view of the full presentation. For further details and download please goto: www.straticx.com/store.html Action Logs Meeting Scorecards Meeting Scheduling Guidelines Meeting Acceptance Guidelines

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of contents

Purpose, Use & Benefits of this Meetings Toolkit

Meeting Efficiency & Effectiveness

Terms of Reference & Agendas

Roles & Responsibilities

Behavioural Guidelines
Pre-Reading & Presentation Guidelines

only Length of Meeting Times This is a partial view of the full presentation. For further details and download please goto: www.straticx.com/store.html Action Logs Meeting Scorecards Meeting Scheduling Guidelines Meeting Acceptance Guidelines

PRE-READING & PRESENTATIONS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY TEMPLATE

Why Are You Presenting? Executive Summary

To (inform, align, seek approval for, update)

.. (No more than 2 lines per key point, only provide the key pieces of information needed to achieve your purpose for presenting, save the detail for the appendix if possible)

This is only a partial view of the full presentation. For further details and download please goto: www.straticx.com/store.html
Risks/ Opportunities

..

You can use this standard executive summary template if one doesnt already exist for the document youre presenting
As a rule of thumb, if youre not able to successfully convey the key points of your presentation on one page using these headings you might not be ready to present

Risks/ Opportunities

..

LENGTH OF MEETING TIMES

Avoid the issues related to back-to-back meetings by always scheduling your meetings to finish at least 5 minutes earlier in Outlook
Current Problem
Most people feel that meetings are currently too long

Solution
Length of Meetings Guideline: Schedule your meetings to finish at least 5 minutes early in Outlook If you schedule an hour, you will take an hour

Some people spend their days in backto-back meetings that can finish later than scheduled, meaning their next meeting starts late

Finish early to allow you to get to your next meeting on time

This is only a partial view of the full presentation. For further details and download please goto: www.straticx.com/store.html
Current Meetings Length 30 mins 60 mins Recommended Length 25 mins 50 mins

90 mins
120 mins

75 mins
100 mins

ACTION LOG

All key meetings should use the standard Action Log to capture any issues, actions and resolutions with due date timings and a single person responsible for actioning

This is only a partial view of the full presentation. For further details and download please goto: www.straticx.com/store.html
The standard Action Log template is included as a separate Excel model

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of contents

Purpose, Use & Benefits of this Meetings Toolkit

Meeting Efficiency & Effectiveness

Terms of Reference & Agendas

Roles & Responsibilities

Behavioural Guidelines
Pre-Reading & Presentation Guidelines

only Length of Meeting Times This is a partial view of the full presentation. For further details and download please goto: www.straticx.com/store.html Action Logs Meeting Scorecards Meeting Scheduling Guidelines Meeting Acceptance Guidelines

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of contents

Purpose, Use & Benefits of this Meetings Toolkit

Meeting Efficiency & Effectiveness

Terms of Reference & Agendas

Roles & Responsibilities

Behavioural Guidelines
Pre-Reading & Presentation Guidelines

only Length of Meeting Times This is a partial view of the full presentation. For further details and download please goto: www.straticx.com/store.html Action Logs Meeting Scorecards Meeting Scheduling Guidelines Meeting Acceptance Guidelines

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of contents

Purpose, Use & Benefits of this Meetings Toolkit

Meeting Efficiency & Effectiveness

Terms of Reference & Agendas

Roles & Responsibilities

Behavioural Guidelines
Pre-Reading & Presentation Guidelines

only Length of Meeting Times This is a partial view of the full presentation. For further details and download please goto: www.straticx.com/store.html Action Logs Meeting Scorecards Meeting Scheduling Guidelines Meeting Acceptance Guidelines

This is only a partial view of the full presentation. For further details and download please goto: www.straticx.com/store.html