Death By Meetings
We all know that meetings can be deadly, and with so many people working virtually, they can be even more so. Meetings can be an efficient way for a leader to communicate, but meetings should never take the place of a carefully crafted memo or other communication tool. To ensure that you are never the guilty party in the “death by meeting” saga, follow these simple rules.
First, assess whether you really need to have a meeting, or if the task at hand can be accomplished in another way. If you are communicating information to a group of people, you can probably cancel the meeting and provide a well crafted memo or slide deck. If you need people to interact and explore each others’ thoughts to reach a decision, then you probably need to have the meeting.
Second, establish a clear and realistic agenda / timeline for the meeting. A good agenda lists not just the topics to be covered in the meeting, but also how much time is expected to be devoted to them. Be realistic with your estimates — complex and emotional topics will take more than 5 minutes.
Third, establish clear processes for how to stay on time and make decisions, and practice adherence to those protocols. Roles and routines are key to developing a meeting culture that accomplishes what it is intended to do.
Follow these three simple rules and your meetings will be much more valuable, fewer in number, and shorter. And rest assured, everyone will thank you for that!
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
