Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
PREFACE
PART 1 - PREPARING FOR THE MEETING
Chapter 1 - IS THIS MEETING NECESSARY?
Chapter 2 - PREPARING FOR YOUR NEXT MEETING
Chapter 3 - HOW TO PREPARE AN ACTION AGENDA
Chapter 4 - DEFINING TEAM MEETING ROLES
Chapter 5 - HOW TO INTEGRATE A NEW MEMBER
Chapter 6 - WHEN A MEMBER LEAVES THE TEAM
Chapter 7 - ESTABLISHING YOUR TEAM’S GROUND RULES
Chapter 8 - COMPONENTS OF A NEW TEAM KICK-OFF MEETING
Chapter 9 - PLANNING AN OFF-SITE MEETING THAT’S ON TARGET
Chapter 10 - YOUR OPENING ACT
Chapter 11 - E-MAIL EXCELLENCE
PART 2 - FACILITATING THE MEETING
Chapter 12 - MEETING TIME MANAGEMENT
Chapter 13 - STAYING ON TRACK
Chapter 14 - HOW TO GET EFFECTIVE PARTICIPATION
Chapter 15 - BUILDING A FOUNDATION OF TRUST
Chapter 16 - COMMUNICATING IN A VIDEOCONFERENCE
Chapter 17 - TELECONFERENCE TIPS
Chapter 18 - ACHIEVING CLEAR COMMUNICATION IN A MULTICULTURAL MEETING
Chapter 19 - HOW TO MAKE A DECISION
Chapter 20 - PRESENTING AT A TEAM MEETING
Chapter 21 - RESOLVING CONFLICTS IN A TEAM MEETING
Chapter 22 - RESPONDING TO NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION
Chapter 23 - MANAGING MEETING MONSTERS
Chapter 24 - SERIOUS FUN AT TEAM MEETINGS?
Chapter 25 - EATING WELL = MEETING WELL
PART 3 - CLOSING AND FOLLOWING UP ON THE MEETING
Chapter 26 - ENDING MEETINGS ON TIME AND ON TARGET
Chapter 27 - MEETING EVALUATION
Chapter 28 - MEETING EVALUATION
Chapter 29 - MEETING EVALUATION
Chapter 30 - MEETING NOTES
Chapter 31 - GETTING ACTION ON ACTION ITEMS
Chapter 32 - AFTER-MEETING ACTIONS
Chapter 33 - MANAGING EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
PART 4 - RESOURCES
RESOURCE A - WEB-BASED MEETING TOOLS
RESOURCE B - THE SEVEN SINS OF DEADLY MEETINGS
RESOURCE C - ARE YOU A MEETING MARVEL?
RESOURCE D - WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
RESOURCE E - MEETING EXCELLENCE
RESOURCE F - ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF MEETING RESOURCES
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
INDEX
PREFACE
When we began thinking about preparing a series of tools for improving the quality of meetings at the Novartis Oncology Business Unit, we had no plans to put together a book on the subject. Our mission was to create a series of brief, user-friendly documents for people who plan and lead meetings at all levels in the organization. From Novartis employees who voiced their feelings at a number of open space and focus group meetings in both in the United States and Europe, we learned that existing meeting resources did not meet their needs.
They were ready to move beyond lists of best practices to more specific how-to job aids—that is, to something more akin to a cookbook on meeting management. For example, they already knew that cultural differences must be considered in facilitating a global meeting. What they really needed was a tool that said, here are the specific things you should avoid and encourage in order to achieve clear communication in a multicultural meeting. In other words, these meeting facilitators wanted us to drill down to the issues they face daily and then prepare tools to help them address these issues.
With encouragement and strong support of David Epstein, president of the Novartis Oncology Business Unit, Glenn was brought into the organization to work with Bob to collect additional data by observing team meetings, examining existing meeting documents, and conducting a number of intensive individual interviews. The outcome of this assessment was a comprehensive change effort that came to be known as the Meeting Excellence program. This effort includes a range of options for people leading meetings within Novartis:
1. Web-Based Tools. All the Meeting Excellence tools are posted on the Novartis intranet, where they can be accessed and downloaded by employees.
2. Facilitation Skills Workshop. A one-day development program that focuses on 15 behaviors of a successful facilitator and includes intensive skill practice role-plays using company-specific scenarios.
3. Meeting Assessment Survey. A 36-item survey that measures the effectiveness of the meetings of a specific team. The team leader gets a summary of the results and advice on how to facilitate an action-planning session with team members.
4. Observation and Feedback. A trained observer attends a team meeting, takes notes, and provides the leader with feedback designed to reinforce the 15 behaviors of a successful facilitator.
5. Coaching. An outside person works with team leaders individually over time to help upgrade their meeting facilitation skills.
Background and Purpose of the Book
When it became clear that the tools developed for Novartis Oncology had wide applicability and would be useful to other organizations, the idea for a book surfaced in our thinking. People from other organizations called with requests to see and perhaps use the materials. At that point it became obvious that a book provided the best way to make these tools available to people in other organizations who were searching for practical advice and tools for more effective meeting management. At the same time, everyone also seemed to be saying that team leaders had little time to wade through long documents to find specific tips, techniques, and samples that they could use in the meeting scheduled for next week.
Meeting Excellence provides a wide variety of ready-to-use tools that have been tested by team leaders and facilitators in a variety of organizational settings around the world. In this book you will find answers to questions frequently asked about meetings:
I know that good planning makes for a great meeting, but what specifically should I do before my next meeting?
My meetings always have an agenda but it does not seem to help very much; what can I do to improve the effectiveness of my agendas?
As a leader of a new team, what should I include in my kick-off meeting next week?
I lead a virtual team that includes people from six different countries; what are some ways I can ensure everyone participates in our discussions?
What are ways I can deal with disruptive people who talk too long and often, and with the ones who do other work during the meeting?
We have a lot of presentations at our meetings and most are dull and boring; what can I do to change that?
As a new leader of an old team, I have noticed what seems to be a lack of trust on the part of certain members toward other members; can anything be done to develop a climate of trust on a team?
Although I have a good action agenda, we always seem to go off on a tangent and then not accomplish all the items on the agenda or just rush through them at the end of the meeting; can I do anything about this?
When people look like they are not interested or have a question but say nothing, is there anything I can do to get them involved?
In most of my meetings a few people do most of the talking while the large majority sit quietly most of the time; since we seem to get all the agenda items completed, should I worry about this lack of participation?
The meetings of the ongoing team that I lead have become very dull and boring; can I do anything to make them more fun and livelier?
How do I close a meeting on a positive note when people are anxious to leave?
What do I do about people who agree to take responsibility for action items but then do not complete them on time?
How do I deal with the fact that certain decisions made at our meeting do not get communicated back to line management or do not get communicated accurately?
I know it is a good idea to evaluate our meetings, but people are impatient to leave and do not want to take the time to fill out a form; what should I do?
Audience for This Book
We wrote this book for people in organizations who spend increasing amounts of their time in meetings. As organizational development and team building professionals we often hear comments from employees expressing their frustration and dissatisfaction with teamwork. In fact, their frustration can usually be traced to their association of teamwork with team meetings. In their world, since meetings are bad, teams must be a bad idea. They conclude that the organization is wasting its time and resources pursuing a strategy that has teams as its centerpiece.
When you pierce the outer layer of frustration you find a great deal of time being spent in meetings that are poorly planned and poorly implemented, with little or no positive outcome. And so we decided to do something about it by drawing on our experience to provide tools for achieving effective meetings that are both brief and practical. People told us the tools need to be brief because they do not have the time to wade through long documents to get what they need. And they told us the tools need to be practical because they do not need to be told again about the importance of effective meeting management and they do not need to know the theory that underlies it. In that context the tools in this book provide help for a varied audience.
Executives and high-level managers in both the private and public sectors conduct board meetings, project review meetings, shareholder meetings, and a variety of other meetings that are critical to the success of the total organization. In many ways senior management (and the administrative staff who provide meeting support) sets the tone for the whole organization by being role models for what is expected from everyone else. People often attend and make presentations at meetings conducted by the management team. When those meetings are planned and carried out effectively, it is instructive for all those in attendance and the many others they are able to influence. When those meetings display the characteristics of Meeting Excellence, it sends a strong and positive message to the organization. Used judiciously, the tools of the Meeting Excellence program can help executives establish a positive meeting culture in their organization.
Mid-level managers and supervisors are responsible for functional and department staff meetings and often lead a variety of cross-functional teams that include people from both within and outside the company. Many of these people are stretched thin by increasing demands on their time coupled with the large number of tasks and projects for which they are held accountable. Since they often lack administrative support to help plan their meetings, they will be glad to reach for some of the Meeting Excellence tools that will make the job of planning their next meeting faster, easier, and ultimately more effective.
Team leaders and meeting facilitators who are out there on the front lines facing the frustration of team members who do not want to sit through another bad meeting will find among the tools of Meeting Excellence specific guidance for preparing and facilitating a meeting that will make them organizational heroes. They will find tools to help plan their next meeting, facilitate the meeting so that it accomplishes its objectives, and then follow up to ensure that the outcomes are implemented. For example, by this time most meeting leaders know they need an agenda, but Meeting Excellence provides specific guidance on how to prepare an effective agenda—including a template they can follow. The same is true of the more than 30 other tools included here.
Human resource, organizational development, and team-building professionals who are consulting with and providing training for team managers, leaders, facilitators, and members will find specific advice and tips they can use in their team-training and team-building interventions. The book also includes many surveys and checklists they can use to diagnose a team, assess a team leader, or conduct a needs assessment as part of their consulting services to the organization.
Overview of the Contents
The tools in
Meeting Excellence are grouped and presented according to the three phases of a meeting:
1. Preparing for the Meeting
2. Facilitating the Meeting
3. Closing and Following Up on the Meeting
The Resources section at the end includes a variety of other information and tools designed to supplement the contents of Meeting Excellence.
The key to a successful meeting is rooted in all the work you do before the start of the meeting. In fact, it is very difficult, perhaps impossible, to overcome lack of planning and preparation once the meeting has begun. Therefore, in Part 1 you will find tools that will help you
• Decide if your next meeting is really necessary.
• Determine what needs to be done to prepare yourself and the team.
• Prepare an agenda.
• Define team meeting roles.
• Integrate a new member on to your team.
• Deal with the departure of a team member.
• Create your team’s ground rules.
• Plan a new team kick-off meeting.
• Design and facilitate a team off-site meeting.
• Decide how to open the meeting on a positive note.
• Write clear e-mail messages.
Now think about the time after the meeting has begun. You are faced with the task of accomplishing your meeting objectives in the face of a variety of obstacles. In Part 2 you will find tools designed to
• Manage the time during the meeting.
• Stay on track and focused on your planned outcomes.
• Facilitate effective participation in your meeting.
• Build a climate of trust in your meeting.
• Facilitate a videoconference meeting.
• Facilitate a teleconference meeting.
• Ensure clear communication in a multicultural meeting.
• Make an effective decision.
• Help everyone deliver an effective presentation in a team meeting.
• Resolve conflicts that may arise in your meeting.
• Understand and respond to nonverbal behavior.
• Deal with difficult behavior in your meeting.
• Have fun while you get the work done in the meeting.
• Plan refreshments that will be genuinely refreshing.
Every meeting should have a strong closing. And there is still much work to do after the meeting to ensure that agreements are implemented. Part 3 provides tools to help you
• Close a meeting on a positive and forward-looking note.
• Evaluate your meeting with a two-minute drill, a five-minute activity, and a ten-minute assessment.
• Create a set of brief but effective meeting notes.
• Create action items that get action.
• Follow up on the meeting effectively.
• Facilitate external communication with key stakeholders.
The book ends with a Resources section that includes
• A review of the effectiveness of current Web-based meeting tools. Since this field is changing rapidly, it is important to use the information here as a starting point for your search for the best Web-based tool for your team.
• An article titled “The Seven Sins of Deadly Meetings” that provides both a description of common meeting problems and suggestions for overcoming each problem.
• A self-assessment tool for team members that provides an opportunity for members to evaluate their role as a meeting participant.
• Ten case problems that you can use to facilitate a discussion or conduct a training session on meetings.
• A quiz to test yourself and your teammates on Meeting Excellence.
• An annotated bibliography of books, articles, Web sites, and videos that we have found to be helpful.
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank a number of our colleagues at Novartis Oncology who provided support, encouragement, advice, and specific feedback on the tools. Although many people contributed, we would especially like to acknowledge David Epstein, Michele Galen, Elizabeth Kearns, Jim Jaffee, Steve Goldfarb, Carrie Kifner, and Catherine Sadler. In addition, Diana Morris, an external communications consultant, helped us create the concept of Meeting Excellence.
Glenn would like to thank his wife, Judy, for her support during the development of this project and for just about everything else of importance in his life. He would like to thank his children, Michael, Jill, and Ellen, and his grandchildren, Drew, Emily, Max, and Jake for bringing much joy and laughter into his life.
Bob would like to thank his wife, Deanna, for her love, her laughter, and her faith in him and their marriage. Bob would also like to thank his children—Sarah, Christopher, Melissa, and Rachel—for reminding him about what is really important in life. Finally, Bob would like to acknowledge his father, Marshall, and his mother, Ann, who passed away during the publication of this book and without whose guidance, love, and support he would not be the man he is today.
November 2005
Glenn Parker
Skillman, New Jersey
Robert Hoffman
Watchung, New Jersey
PART 1
PREPARING FOR THE MEETING
1
IS THIS MEETING NECESSARY?
Purpose
Too often, people get caught up in thinking, “We always have a project meeting Tuesday morning at 10,” or “We haven’t gotten the group together for a while,” or similar rationalizations for having a team meeting. Yet sometimes, deciding not to meet may be the best use of everyone’s valuable time.
Key Questions to Ask Up Front
• Is there a clear purpose for the meeting? “Developing a plan for responding to issues raised by the site investigator” is a clear purpose for a problem-solving meeting. However, for “Reviewing reports from sites,” a meeting may not be what you need at all.
• Should we meet now? It may be best to postpone the meeting if required information is missing, a critical member who should be present to explain a vital issue is not available, or an important organizational change is about to be announced.
• Is there a better alternative? If the purpose of the meeting is to communicate information such as status updates, it may be more efficient and just as effective to use an appropriate electronic method. Consider sending e-mail with an attachment or posting the information on the team space. If the purpose of the meeting involves only two or three members, perhaps an informal subgroup session would be a better alternative. If the purpose involves information gathering from some members, one-to-one meetings or telephone conversations with these individuals may be a preferred method.
• What if the meeting is not held? What would not be accomplished? How would team members react? How would senior managers react? If the answers are “Nothing would be missed” or “There would be a loud cheer throughout the organization” (or both), you have your answer.
Related Tools
• Preparing for Your Next Meeting (tool #2)
• How to Prepare an Action Agenda (tool #3)
• Planning an Off-Site Meeting That’s On Target (tool #9)
2
PREPARING FOR YOUR NEXT MEETING
Purpose
As the meeting facilitator, you have done your job. The meeting notice and agenda are done, the notice and necessary documents have been transmitted to the members, the meeting room and equipment have been confirmed, and the refreshments have been ordered. Your meeting preparation is complete. Or is it?
As a team member, you are ready to attend your next team meeting. You have a copy of the agenda, the related documents have been downloaded and printed, you know where the meeting will be held, and you’ve calculated how long it will take to arrive at the room in time for the start of the meeting. Your meeting preparation is complete. Not really.
Even though the mechanics of the meeting are set, real meeting preparation requires some additional effort. The purpose of this tool is to offer suggestions for the team leader and team members on ways to increase their effectiveness by investing in several preparation activities.
Tips for the Meeting Facilitator
• Decide if the meeting is necessary. Just because your project team meets every Friday morning to review progress, do you really need to meet this Friday? Would everyone be better served by canceling the meeting? For more specific ideas on deciding whether to hold a team meeting, see tool #1, “Is This Meeting Necessary?”
• Be clear about your key meeting outcome. What is the one decision, solution, or other action that will make this a successful meeting? Note: We do not mean that you should have a predefined action that you want but that you are clear about the issue that needs to be addressed.
•
Review your list of invitees. With your key meeting outcomes in hand, check the list of people invited to the meeting to ensure it includes only those people who really need to attend—the ones with the expertise needed to reach the decision or solve the problem associated with your key meeting outcome. The key players typically include
• The relevant subject matter experts
• The empowered decision makers
• The significant stakeholders
• The important implementers
Some people should not be invited. These people include
• Members who have no interest in and nothing to contribute to any of the agenda items
• Other people who have only a marginal interest in the issues and only sit in to observe
• Senior managers whose presence is not necessary and may inhibit the participation of the relevant members
• Consider the materials needed for the meeting. What readings or handouts are necessary to support the agenda items? Will these materials be ready for communication prior to the meeting, or for distribution during the meeting if it’s not appropriate to hand them out in advance?
• Distribute the meeting notice and agenda prior to the meeting. Your team should establish a ground rule that indicates when the agenda should be sent to the meeting participants. As a general rule, 48 hours in advance of the meeting is a minimum. However, if team members travel a great deal or the meeting often requires considerable preparation, the meeting notice and agenda may need to reach the participants earlier. For example, we know of certain high-level meetings where the agenda is distributed two weeks prior to the meeting.
• Communicate with the key players. If one person is scheduled to deliver the presentation that sets the stage for the essential outcome, talk with that person before the meeting. Is the presentation ready? Is the presenter aware of likely questions about the issue? Prepared to handle the questions? If someone is responsible for a report that is a critical agenda item, check to confirm that the report will be complete in time for the meeting. If any important guests are supposed to attend, provide them with an orientation that prepares them for the meeting.
• Determine the decision-making method. If one of the key meeting outcomes is a decision, decide how you will make the decision. What method is appropriate for this particular issue, the dynamics of the team, and the available time? See tool #19, “How to Make a Decision.”
• Identify the relevant ground rules. Does the group need to be reminded about certain ground rules as they consider specific issues? For example, if an important decision is on the agenda, you may want to do a quick review of your team’s norms regarding decision making. See tool #7, “Establishing Your Team’s Ground Rules.”
• Do an attendance check. If the involvement and support of certain people are critical, will those people attend the meeting? For example, if one of the key outcomes concerns a change in the marketing plan, then the principal marketing representative needs to be present. Therefore, it is important that you check the responses to the meeting notice to see who is planning to attend. If certain key people cannot be there, you may need to change the agenda, obtain a substitute who can act on behalf of the missing participant, or change the meeting time.
• Complete a head count. A related concern is the number of people scheduled to attend. If one of the meeting outcomes is consensus on an important decision, you will want the group to be small. If you want input from a wide range of people on an issue, you will want a large group of active participants. In either case (as well as other possible scenarios), knowing the number of people expected to attend will help you prepare to facilitate the meeting. For example, if 20 people are expected to attend a meeting where reaching a true consensus is important, you may wish to have only the core team present at the beginning of the meeting when the issue is discussed.
• Anticipate problems or obstacles. The effective facilitator is rarely surprised. The effective facilitator foresees troublesome issues and is prepared to deal with them. Do you expect an issue to be contentious? What objections can be anticipated? Who stands to lose something? Which agenda items may take longer than planned? Which agenda items can be postponed to the next meeting? What if a key player is unable to attend at the last minute?
• Check on the meeting logistics. Make sure the room is large enough and contains a sufficient number of chairs, the necessary meeting room equipment is ordered, the communications (audio, video, Web) are set, and, if appropriate, the refreshments are ordered.
•
Play “What-if?” Besides following the tips about logistics, effective facilitators play a mental game of what-if scenarios prior to the meeting. For example:
• What if a senior manager shows up?
• What if the meeting starts 20 minutes late?
• What if the equipment does not work?
• What if the person responsible for the critical agenda item gets sick at the last minute and does not attend?
• What if only half or a quarter of the expected people show up?
• What if two key team members get into an argument?
• What if the team makes a decision with which you strongly disagree?
Tips for the Team Member
• Review the agenda. Read the agenda sufficiently in advance of the meeting to address any concerns you may have, gather any required information, obtain whatever input you may need from your manager and colleagues, or clarify your decision-making authority on key issues.
• Prepare your positions. If the agenda includes a critical decision, take some time to consider your position (and the position of your management) on the issue. At the same time, gather your data, review other documentation, and organize your thoughts.
• Clarify your authority. If the agenda specifies a decision on a critical issue, are you empowered to speak for your department? Since efficient meeting management depends on members’ being empowered to make a commitment, be clear about your authority before the meeting.
• Prepare and review your action items. If you are responsible for tasks that are due at the meeting, complete the items. Equally important, understand the ground rules on presenting the material. Is it expected that the work will be sent out in advance of the meeting? How long in advance of the meeting must the material be sent? What format is preferred? Can you expect people to read the material or will you need to review the content at the meeting?
• Practice your presentation. If you are scheduled to deliver a presentation at the meeting, do a dry run. See tool #20, “Presenting at a Team Meeting.”
• Manage your schedule. Try to avoid back-to-back meetings in different locations. Plan your time so that you can arrive at the team meeting a few minutes before the meeting begins.
Related Tools
• Is This Meeting Necessary? (tool #1)
• Defining Team Meeting Roles (tool #4)
• Establishing Your Team’s Ground Rules (tool #7)
• Planning an Off-Site Meeting That’s On Target (tool #9)
• How to Make a Decision (tool #19)
• Presenting at a Team Meeting (tool #20)
• Are You a Meeting Marvel? (resource C)
• What Would You Do? (resource D)
3
HOW TO PREPARE AN ACTION AGENDA
Purpose
The key to a successful meeting starts well before the meeting takes place, and the heart of pre-meeting planning is the creation of an action agenda. A solid action agenda drives the dynamics of the meeting toward a successful outcome. An action agenda differs from the more typical agenda (a plain list of topics to be covered) in its focus on outcomes.
The purpose of this tool is to outline and provide a rationale for each component of an action agenda. It also includes a sample meeting notice and agenda.
Keys to an Action Agenda