Meetings are the crux and essence of any organization. They enable employees to communicate, make decisions, and come together to talk about the most important concerns of the day. They also prove to be the most widespread and public display of leadership qualities of an individual. An individual’s ability of being a good leader is judged through these meetings. So, if he wants to be a capable leader, it is imperative that he gets good at leading effective meetings.
However, this is not always easy. Meetings may not always serve the purpose they were intended to. Meetings have been known for lacking a defined purpose, failing to accomplish the required action items, and eventually proving to be a waste of time. Even though it is an obvious requirement, a lot of meetings start without any clear sense of principle/destination. The agenda of any meeting can be decided beforehand; the agenda provides a clear picture of where the meeting heads.
There are three prime rules of running an effective meeting: · Set the Agenda: Even though it is an obvious requirement, a lot of meetings begin without a clear objective. The agenda of any meeting can be summarized on a hand-out, written on a whiteboard, or simply discussed. But it is imperative that each and every attendee of the meeting should know what exactly the meeting is about. The agenda defines the perimeter of the meeting, so that the discussions do not wander off-course. · Start on time, end on time: Time is of the essence, and it is very important for meetings to start on the time scheduled. Waiting for long periods of time results in precious waste of resources. A specific start and end time ensures that the meeting’s agenda is fulfilled and work can be resumed swiftly. · End with an Action Plan: Every meeting must produce a result to move forward. The last few minutes of every meeting must be kept for any discussion succeeding the meeting. This discussion should encompass further steps of action: further responsibilities and deadlines. Otherwise, all the discussions in the meeting will be futile. · Establish ground rules: Every participant of a meeting must have some contribution towards it. The role of every participant must be defined clearly. The more transparently their roles are defined, the better they are likely to contribute towards the success of the meeting. The techniques of “goal planning” and “project management” are vital for any successful meeting. “Presentation skills” and “delegation abilities” are useful in meetings, including a prime understanding of “motivation” and “personality”. “Problem-solving” and “decision making” are also important in many meetings, although responsibilities should always be delegated keeping in mind the individual’s capabilities. Meetings which include participation from the attendees are generally more productive than those that do not. Those meetings in which the leader dominates, instructs and takes all the decisions himself, is not a very constructive one. With the advancement of technology, several substitutes have come forth, to the conventional face-to-face meetings, like phone and video conferencing. These virtual methods of conducting meetings save precious time and money. But, keeping in mind the advantages of face-to-face communications, there will always be a trade-off between the inadequacies of “virtual meetings” and the drawbacks of remote communication methods.
Meetings should always be chosen, keeping in mind the appropriateness of the situation; whether it requires virtual conferencing, or simply a face-to-face discussion. Subject to obvious alterations and reservations, the primary principles of running face-to-face meetings are the same as running virtual ones. Face-to-face meetings should be the obvious choice when a serious matter is taken up for consideration, since they convey a deeper meaning and understanding of the situation. Trying to save time by conducting such meetings virtually, may not often produce the desired results.
Every meeting is an opportunity to grow, not only for the organization as a whole, but also for the individual attendees. Hence, they should always be conducted keeping in mind these mutually exclusive outcomes.
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