I remember being on a team once that would begin almost every week with these words from the leader, “So, what do you have today?” Have you ever gone to a weekly meeting and thought to yourself (or maybe you vocalized), “We don’t need to meet every week just to meet!”
I am not a big fan of meetings, unless they are worth my time and the time of everyone else in the room. I must be honest and say that in the past I have been guilty of leading the forgettable and boring meetings I am opposed to being in. However, I really put forth energy to not repeat those experiences.
Most meetings can be described as:
- too long
- unorganized
- boring
- waste of time
- no purpose
- no action taken
I find productive meetings include five elements:
- reason – a topic or issue that requires time together
- leader – someone who takes charge and leads the flow
- agenda – you have direction and know how you want to use the time
- minutes – you value people’s time…begin and end on time
- action items – do something based on the decisions made
If you don’t need to meet, then don’t meet! Perhaps you need to discuss some things but not with the entire team. Simply schedule some time with the person that is directly involved in the issue or topic. Everyone will thank you.
By the way, feel free to be creative and have fun in your meeting. Meetings don’t have to be sterile.
I have included three funny videos on how not to run a meeting. Enjoy.
- Saturday Night Live: A Diverse Meeting
- Intentionally Creating A Long & Boring Meeting
- Fart Interrupts A City Council Meeting
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