❑ Quickly refine the purpose, goals, and agenda that were distributed prior to the meet-
ing. Add, delete, combine, or reorder items as necessary. This helps to ensure that the
group takes responsibility for the meeting’s success.
❑ Orient the group to the task at hand—purpose, outcomes, process, constraints, and so
on. [☛11.7 Opening Remarks] Don’t invite comments until you have completed your
opening remarks.
❑ Set a positive, hardworking, and open meeting environment.
❑ Ask for active participation:
➠ Don’t evaluate or put down participant contributions.
➠ Some silence is okay.
➠ Listen actively to what people say, summarizing their contributions.
❑ Quickly review any meeting ground rules. [☛10.8 Ground Rules]
❑ Quickly review appropriate information from the previous meeting.- Advancing the meeting
❑ Stick to the agenda once it’s agreed to, unless something significant develops. Meeting
participants may dislike this constraint. However, they will be even more dissatisfied if
agenda items are not dealt with. [☛11.5 Chair Accountabilities]
❑ Manage the meeting process: Introduce each agenda item, explaining what is to be
accomplished and why it is important. Encourage discussion, summarize and review
decisions, establish target dates for completion, and so on. [☛10.6 Group Leader Skills]
❑ If the meeting gets sidetracked: [☛12.7 Dealing with Conflict, 12.8 Difficult People]
➠ Never try to one-up a meeting participant; don’t evaluate the participant.
➠ Use listening responses (summarizing, paraphrasing).
➠ Remind the group of the purpose of the meeting and of time constraints.
➠ Ask that discussion of side topics take place after the meeting.
❑ Get closure on each agenda item—if not a decision or plan, then how the item will be
moved forward. Summarize and record (visibly, if possible) agreements reached. This
provides a sense of completion for meeting participants. In addition, knowing that
actions will be followed up on and that things will happen as a result of the meeting
is very motivating for all concerned. [☛10.10 Closure]
❑ The most common complaints about meetings have to do with the length of meetings:
➠ Frequently remind the group of meeting purpose and of results expected.
➠ Ask for closure on discussions and decisions.
➠ Make information visible (use a flip chart or a whiteboard). [☛ 10.9 Visible
Information]
➠ Remind the group of time constraints.
➠ Make meeting process refinements, as required.
➠ Maintain a balance between tight control and innovative discussions.- Ending the meeting
❑ Have your meetings end on time or sooner. (Items near the end of the agenda should
be of a lower priority anyway, and thus easier to reschedule.)
❑ Ask participants for commitment to the decisions made and actions proposed during
the meeting.
❑ If appropriate, set the date for the next meeting and build a draft of the agenda. Include
unfinished business from this meeting.
❑ Keep minutes of decisions reached, actions assigned, and deadlines for fulfillment. This
motivates action and minimizes misinterpretations. [☛10.12 RASCI Planning]SECTION 11 TOOLS FORLEADINGMEETINGS 343