End Meeting Madness by Focusing on the Agenda

Have you ever attended a meeting where it seemed everything under the sun was discussed--except the agenda items? Or one where the agenda items were discussed, analyzed and debated until time ran out and no decisions were made? Or dreaded the next one because half an hour always ended up taking two or three?

If so, welcome to the world of meeting madness.

Meetings are part of our lives . . . whether at work, as part of our social activities or as a volunteer.

But they are expensive in terms of people’s time. Meeting madness can cause a loss of future participation and support. And the work still has to get done.

It is understandable why meeting madness occurs. Participants may have different understanding of what is to be accomplished. They may also have different personal agendas and needs. Some come prepared; others do not.

A good meeting takes planning, setting of expectations and managing.

Here are some ideas for conducting a meeting and avoiding the madness.

* Purpose. A big cause of meeting madness is not understanding what you want to achieve. Do you want to create an action plan, brainstorm ideas or report on progress and agree on next steps? Whatever the purpose, the desired results of a meeting should be clearly stated and understood by all participants.

* Plan. An agenda is essential and should include the purpose, meeting place, starting and ending times and items to be addressed.

Next to each agenda item, list the person responsible for presenting or leading the discussion, along with the time available for it.

Prioritize agenda items, and be realistic about the time needed. Do not try to do too much in one meeting.

The items should be carefully considered in light of urgency and time required. Make sure there is a compelling reason for an item to be included and that it fits the purpose of the meeting. For example, is unfinished work that needs research, analysis or a recommendation being placed on the agenda? Is an issue, decision or information more appropriate for another person or group to handle? Is something nice to know but not relevant?

Assess the need to have routine reports on the agenda. A common problem of many meetings is the substantial time spent on routine verbal reports. Either the meeting time lengthens or insufficient time is available to resolve critical issues and make key decisions.

By having summary written reports distributed in advance, you can streamline the meeting. The agenda item on the report can then focus on key issues, or you might even be able to remove the report from that meeting’s agenda.

* Prepare. Before the meeting, distribute background information along with the agenda. Share the importance of being prepared. And try to avoid sending out lengthy reports. If possible, have the information summarized and make the report available by request. People tend not to read long reports, which hurts meeting quality.

* Expectations. At the start of the meeting, reinforce the purpose and desired products of the meeting and the importance of keeping the discussion on point. Use this time to set the tone of the meeting. “Let’s have fun, but we need to get the job done,” for example.

Think about the participants, their personalities and needs. By doing so, you can better anticipate potential challenges that can lead to meeting madness.

You might know a person who likes to talk or another person who is sensitive about a particular issue. In these cases, you might talk with that participant in advance, to give that individual a forum or a chance to vent a concern. Or you may simply ask the person to be sensitive to the behavior in question.

* Experience. If you have experienced a particular type of meeting madness in the past, you might share your desire to avoid this.

Perhaps the purpose of a meeting is to set policy. But at a prior meeting when an issue outside the agenda was raised, the meeting deteriorated as the entire group wasted time trying to analyze without research or facts. As you start the meeting, you might mention the importance of avoiding this type of discussion.

* Manage. It is not enough to plan. It is not enough to have an agenda. A meeting has to be managed, and this can be the biggest challenge.

We want to achieve tangible results but not at the expense of being viewed as a dictator. We want active participation by attendees but want to avoid drifting off into a myriad of directions. We want people to enjoy themselves but still accomplish the meeting’s purpose.

By understanding the purpose of the meeting and respecting the time spent by the participants, we can have the courage to provide the direction and discipline needed for a successful meeting. And by respecting the participants, we can have the empathy to create flexibility in the range of discussion. We must listen and still lead.

* Time limits. Start the meeting on time and do your best to finish on time. While you are trying to create an environment where the attendees will enjoy themselves and want to participate, you must be polite but firm when the meeting is going off track and needs to be redirected. Set time aside for new items at the end of the agenda. This will allow you to keep the meeting moving in the right direction if a participant’s contribution will take it off track, but give this person an opportunity to share it. Many agendas include a “New Business” item, but too often this tool is not appropriately used.

* Review. Close the meeting with a short summary. Briefly review what was achieved, any “to do’s” and who are responsible for accomplishing them. And after the meeting is over, reflect on the conduct of the meeting and learn from what worked as well as what did not work.

It is important to conduct meetings in a productive manner where purpose is achieved. Yet efficiently accomplishing the meeting agenda but not having anyone want to work with you is not getting the job done. Managing a meeting means being a guide and not a dictator.

Let’s respect each other and create flexibility in how we manage meetings. Let’s honor each others’ time and have the strength to provide direction and discipline when needed.

Let’s get the job done. Let’s have meaningful meetings.

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Gary Izumo is a professor in the Moorpark College Business Department and has managed his own consulting practice. He is a former McKinsey & Co. consultant and Practice Leader for the Strategic Management Consulting Practice of Price Waterhouse. You can e-mail him at [email protected].