Meetings … Eating Your Broccoli 2
Meetings are the “broccoli” of conducting business.
We do not relish meetings, but we participate in them because they are often a necessary requirement for getting things done. The way you conduct meetings can increase your productivity as well as others participating in your meetings. This is 2nd of 3 articles that provide a format for planning productive meetings.
The format includes the following components.
- Desired Results
- Approach
- Actions to Be Taken
- Participants
- Reality Check
- Preparation
- Duration
- Timing
- Logistics
The 1st article addressed Desired Results and Approach. This article addresses Actions to Be Taken, Participants, and Reality Check.
Ask the following questions to determine Actions to Be Taken.
- Given the Desired Results, what would be the next steps after this meeting?
- How does this meeting fit within the larger context such as a project, initiative, activity or accomplishment of an objective?
If you cannot answer these questions, a meeting may not be necessary. Or, you may not be ready to have a meeting because you are not clear on the purpose of the meeting. Instead of a meeting, you may only need to send an email message to inform, update, or bring closure to a project, initiative, or assignment. You may just need to have a brief face-to-face or telephone conversation with certain individuals. Responses to your email messages or the results of your conversations may provide the answers to your Actions to Be Taken questions and then point to the need for a meeting.
I suggest that you consider 5 roles that potential Participants can serve in your meeting.
- Deciders
- Subject Matter Experts
- Supporters
- Influencers
- Inhibitors
Deciders are individuals whose decisions you will need to achieve the Desired Results. Make the distinction between deciders versus reviewers. Some decision makers want reviewers present, often trusted advisors, to provide considerations for making decisions during the meeting. Other decision makers may not want some or even all reviewers to participate. This is a matter of the decision making style of decider and/or the nature of discussions prior to your meeting. Deciders may view the participation of reviewers in you meeting as a waste of their time. Deciders may have already gotten the desired advice, suggestions, or perspectives of the reviewers. Do your homework. Talk to individuals who are familiar with the style of the decision maker. Your discussions could also strengthen the support of what you want to accomplish among key players in your organization.
Subject Matter Experts can provide knowledge you need in the meeting to achieve the Desired Results. (I emphasize in the meeting because some input can be provided before the meeting without the individuals attending the meeting.)
Supporters are individuals whose contributions are essential to achieving the desired results and need to be present to ensure that they understand and have the opportunity to clarify what will be expected of them.
Influencers can provide the stamp of approval to drive the desired results. Make sure that their presence is, indeed, required. Sometimes getting the stamp of approval from an influencer prior to the meeting is all that is required. Some influencers may communicate their approval to the decider prior to your meeting. (They may set the stage for you.) Inviting influencers whose presence is not required can backfire. Your invitations to these individuals may send the signal to your supervisor or others in management who influence your advancement that you cannot make the case for your proposals, ideas, or projects. Making the case may be a key criteria for becoming a leader in your organization.
Inhibitors are potential blockers to achieving the desired results of your meeting. Some individuals become inhibitors because they believe that they should be invited to your meeting or should have been included in planning the related project, assignment, or objective. When excluded, they can become toxic. They may communicate negative perspectives or opinions to influencers or even the decider. Including them in the meeting can dull their edge, especially when your meeting is productive—one governed by a well-focused desired result and a related agenda. Avoid going overboard with inviting potential inhibitors to your meeting. Will potential inhibitors cause more or less damage if they are included in or excluded from your meeting?
A Reality Check confirms the connection among Desired Results, Approach, Actions to Be Taken and Participants.
- Can I state why I am scheduling this meeting in a concise sentence?
- Is there a clear path to achieving the Desired Results?
- Am I inviting the right participants?
Does this meeting taste like a delicacy or does it taste like broccoli?
Conducting effective meetings is one of the touchpoints of Presentation, one of the 6Ps of Personal Marketing that I covered in the article “Do the Right People Know Your Brand?”
Marketing is a component of operating The Business of You, a process for creating personal value from your career—your most important economic asset.
The next article will address the Preparation, Duration, Timing, and Logistic components for conducting productive meetings.
Do people ask you why your meetings are being held?
Do people run for cover when you send meeting notifications?
Have you discovered after meetings that your meetings were not necessary?
Do the participants in your meetings contribute or distract from achieving the desired results?
Do you encounter difficulty keeping your meetings focused?
Do you find it difficult to keep participants engaged during your meetings?
Has anyone asked you for frequent meeting hours awards for attending your meetings?
I invite you to share your comments, experiences, and suggestions. This helps me provide information that may help you address your career opportunities and challenges.
Fields of Success offers complimentary coaching sessions. Visit the Contact page on the Fields of Success website to schedule a session.
Linwood Bailey is a career coach and the author of The Business of Me: Your Job … Your Career … Your Value. The Business of Me provides a career management process and information designed for today’s business professional. Since 2008, Linwood has enabled business professionals to manage their careers. Linwood, the been there coach, provides innovative career management solutions derived from his 34 years of experience managing functions and people in multiple industries, regions, and corporate cultures.
Founder, Fields of Success, LLC
Enabling professionals to convert career challenges into career success stories.
