Is this meeting really necessary?
Anyone thinking of organising a meeting, or invited to one, should ask: is it really necessary, who needs to be there, and do I need to be there?
For this and many other meeting dilemmas, here are some tips and best practices.
Do’s and don’ts for organisations
Do
- Sweep away meeting rituals.
- Aim for something stimulating every five minutes.
- Introduce each agenda item: purpose, approach, time.
- Pay each other compliments; avoid irony and cynicism.
- Replace ‘any other business’ with ‘items for next time’.
- The minute-taker records every agreement, decision and action.
- Circulate the action list within 24 hours.
Don’t
- Meet just because a meeting happens to be scheduled.
- Start late and run over.
- Add new agenda items during the meeting.
- Leave the timing of breaks to people’s bladders.
- Monologues, repetition, digressions, riding hobbyhorses.
- Discuss the minutes of the previous meeting.
To meet or not to meet?
Not sure whether a meeting is needed, or whether you need to be there? This decision tree helps you choose.
Is the meeting a priority for the team or organisation?
no
Don’t hold it, or cancel
yes
Is the meeting a priority for me?
no
Send someone from your team
yes
Is meeting the best solution?
no
Delegate or plan the action
yes
How do I keep the meeting small, focused and short?
For organisers of meetings
- Before you organise a meeting, first think about two questions:
- What exactly do you want to achieve?
- What do you expect from each of the participants?
- Communicate your answers to these questions in the agenda, so that invitees can judge the use and purpose of their attendance.
- State on the agenda what participants should think about beforehand.
- When you invite people or schedule a meeting in their calendar, always ask for an explicit confirmation of attendance. That way you avoid waiting in vain for people whose priorities turn out to lie elsewhere.
- Don’t schedule meetings back to back in the invitees’ Outlook calendars; leave room in between.
- Invite participants only for the part of the meeting where they are indispensable; don’t make them sit through items they cannot contribute to.
For invitees
- Insist on receiving an annotated agenda.
- Don’t go to a meeting if you can phone in your contribution, and don’t phone if you can email it.
- Don’t be afraid to push back if you feel your presence is not really needed.
- Don’t let every empty half hour in your calendar fill up with meetings.
For the meeting itself
- In meetings with many new participants, start with a quick round in which everyone briefly says why they are there and what can be expected of them. This prevents misunderstandings and disappointment.
- At the end of each agenda item, summarise all agreements and actions: what, who, when. This helps enormously to stay focused on results, and should be tattooed on the brain of every chair.
