Why is meeting management so complicated?

“It is not complicated, but in our busy work life we have forgotten how important it is to prepare, manage and follow-up on a meeting. There are some questions left aside… Why are you calling this meeting? What is the objective and which results would you like to get? Who are the right people to participate and how can you create an environment where everyone is actively participating? Did you send out an agenda or documentation in due time for the people to prepare themselves ? If you ask those questions, then you are on a good track to manage an effective meeting.

But to be honest, how often haven’t you either called or participated in a meeting where only the meeting request with an overall topic was sent, no agenda, no objective and expected result? This is why meeting management gets complicated, not only for you, but also for the participants. In the extreme you do not show respect towards your colleagues, or in worst case your client. You are also wasting their time, because they can’t prepare themselves and therefore contribute to a successful result of the meeting.

Managers should have learned why and how to do it properly…

“An overlooked element is the energy and atmosphere level of the meeting. A lot of meeting theory is occupied with time management, meeting formats and all the structural elements. But when you look deeper into what often makes meetings dysfunctional is a lack of focus on the soft side of meetings. This covers the energy levels, the level of interaction and cooperation, but also the level of openness, honesty and trust: are we actually saying what we mean or is there an underlying issue that no one dares to talk about? Are we just physically sitting there while mentally planning another project or today’s shopping list?

By introducing effective meetings, you will create a common platform and understanding of what is a good meeting culture in your company. Not only for the face-to-face meetings, but also virtual ones which require additional facilitation skills.

How much relies on the individual?

“Leading a meeting is not only about management but also about facilitating. That means to ‘do something easier, to assist, to promote’. Instead of thinking about controlling you should see yourself as someone that helps the group to achieve the best result. It is all about exploiting the great potential that is in the room and for the best of the company.

A well-prepared facilitator creates an environment where the participants don’t worry about whether their agenda point will be skipped or missed because of bad time management. In virtual meetings the facilitator must also be the eyes of the remote participants by continuously making sure that everyone knows where in the agenda you are, making sure that everyone is being asked and listened to.

You must continuously improve and focus your facilitations skills and the meeting culture in your company.”

paperJam Business Club

Effective meetings

Get insights on how to increase your meeting efficiency. Managers and team members spend a lot of time in meetings.And quite often, they are not as productive as they could and should be.How can you improve meeting preparation?

Workshop: September 24 from 8.30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Registration: www.club.paperjam.lu

Speaker: Lisbeth Kjellberg (LK Consulting)