We may think that the value of a meeting is the meeting itself. Yet, when we carefully assess what works, what is a point of contention, and the cause of meeting fatigue, it is an element that occurs outside the meeting.
If we fail to plan a meeting, why meet at all? And if we fail to assess the value of people’s time carefully, we do not value our people. The real value gained within any meeting is the deliberate actions that occur before and after the meeting. Critical to that decision is to develop a process of deciding on who should attend and participate in meetings:
Who Participates in Meetings: 10 Factors to Consider
1. Identify the meeting’s objectives and develop a rough outline of what needs to be discussed or done to accomplish them. This will help you create the meeting agenda
2. Forward your agenda to people who need to be there, such as your vice president or business partner, and ask them to refine it. Once the agenda is finalized, work with your leadership team to create a list of attendees
3. Think about who you need to reach the desired outcome of the meeting. It might be decision-makers, senior members of staff, innovators, or technical team members. If you have a clear goal, you should be able to figure out all the finer details of your meeting, including your list of attendees
4. Before announcing a meeting, consider the attendees carefully. If you plan to cover policies, procedures, or human resources issues that affect every staff member, you can consider inviting everyone. In other cases, however, you may want to be more selective. Meetings can be more cost-effective with fewer attendees, but larger meetings that include key decision-makers may end up more cost-effective in the long term
5. Select a reasonable start and end time to design an effective meeting. Choose a convenient time for the largest audience possible. Consider what you want to accomplish and how long it will take to achieve it, considering the desired input from the selected attendees
6. Prepare for the session to keep meeting participants focused. Consider the time of day, attendees, and the meeting’s sequence. Plan time for a brief introduction to provide context and for a discussion of the next steps at the end. Decide how much time to devote to each item and what order makes sense. The longer your meeting, the harder it will be for people to remain focused, so it’s wise to underestimate how much your group can cover in the allotted time
7. Empower employees to decline meetings when they do not need to attend. Consider offering only a few choices. If there aren’t many ideas to choose between, decisions happen faster
8. Use tools of engagement to spark your attendees’ commentary. Organize your meetings to accommodate the hybrid workforce. Plan to negotiate so people join in on the back and forth during team meetings. Drive to the final decision or outcome smoothly so meeting participants are on board
9. Verify that attendees understand the roles assigned to them and the purpose of the meeting. Send any reports, pre-reading, or requests for materials that may require preparation from participants. Check-in with people who haven’t responded to your invitation or who need to be in the room to have a productive meeting
10. After the meeting, evaluate its effectiveness and make changes as necessary to improve future meetings
Meetings are neither a popularity contest nor a way to fill up individual calendars. Instead, they are about making decisions and achieving specific outcomes. Being clear on who must attend is far more critical than allowing those who want to attend and those who should attend to be a part. If we want to be high-performing, alter the one element that saps any organization’s energy and finite resources: Time.
