The Critical Thinker
PURE & SIMPLESM Critical Thinking Tips Used By Winners
Issue 4/09
Make Your
Meetings Count!
Speaking of his organization a friend used to remark:
“We waste half our time in meetings and the rest
of the time we waste by complaining about the
time we spend wasting in meetings”
Let’s face it, it’s not without reason that meetings are a
favorite target of Dilbert, other cartoonists and email jokes.
Many meetings are … ahem … a waste of time.
What has the poor old meeting done to obtain such an
infamous reputation? Or rather, what is it that we, as meeting
organizers or participants, have not being doing that we should
have? That’s the topic of this article.
Before we proceed, let’s recognize some key facts:
Fact #1 Meetings are a corporate necessity
Fact #2 Meetings come in many forms and guises
Fact #3 It is estimated that the average professional spends
between 25-40 percent of his or her time in meetings
Fact #4 We’d better be ”good” at meetings.
Most meetings suffer from pretty much the same difficulties
or pitfalls, for example, an unclear purpose ("We always meet on
Monday morning whether or not there is anything specific to
discuss!"), lack of or unclear agenda, no track or process, or
wrong participants. Luckily, therefore, the same basic rules of
good management can be applied to all meetings.
If You Are Calling The Meeting
Ask yourself the following common sense questions:
• What is my objective? E.g. to give or exchange information; to
create or develop ideas; to decide on issues; to delegate work
or authority; to inspire; to consult; to establish /maintain
relations; to socialize; to have fun etc
• Is calling the meeting the best way? What other alternatives are
there? Which of these is the best?
• What are the priority issues that must be discussed and/or
decided? What are the "want" issues if circumstances permit? In
what order?
• What information will be required? Where will it come from?
How will it be presented? What else must be done before the
meeting to ensure its effectiveness?
© 2009 DECISION PROCESSES INTERNATIONAL ASIA PRIVATE LIMITED
Address: 1 Sophia, #04-16 Peace Centre, Singapore 228149 Tel: 6235 1733 Fax: 6336 8022 Email: enquiries@dpi-asia.com
Asian Site : www.dpi-asia.com Asian Blog : dpi-asia.blogspot.com Global Site : www.decisionprocesses.com
SM
• Who should be attending, who should not, and why? Whom
must I speak with before the meeting? What steps are required
to ensure attendance? Who will not be at the meeting but will
have a stake in the outcome or place pressure on those present?
• Where should the meeting take place? How is the purpose of
the meeting best served? Who suffers from what location? Is
there any protocol affecting location?
• When is the appropriate time for the meeting? Does it depend
on other events? What dependencies?
If You’ve Been Asked To Attend A Meeting
Often we attend simply because the boss said so! Why not
think more critically by asking questions such as:
• Do I know the purpose of the meeting? Is a meeting the best
way to achieve the objective? If not, what are the alternatives?
• What are the agenda items? Do I know what is expected of me?
What information or other preparations are required?
• Who else would be attending the meeting? What are their likely
positions, relative to mine? Whom must I speak to in advance?
Ensure An Effective Agenda
When a formal agenda is required avoid the “activity way” of
preparing it. Neither put down generics lists with no meaning.
Instead, prepare it in terms of objectives or end results.
For example, say "Decision on new computer system"
instead of an ambivalent term like "New computer system." Or
say "Determine next steps of the China Project " instead of
"China Project."
For each objective or agenda item, the activities leading to
the desired end result should be spelt out clearly and the person
responsible for the activities identified. For example:
• Item #1 : Decision on new computer system
o Lee May Ling to present selection criteria
o Hardip Singh to present vendor quotation
o Tuan Haji Zahid to present user surveys
When a meeting works, the power—the added value
created—is huge. And when the meeting fails, the ripple effect is
equally enormous. Your meetings are the most dramatic,
powerful events in your day. Before you walk into any meeting,
before you deal with any substantive issues, you have already
begun winning and losing. So please make your
meetings count!