Five Ways to Increase Your ‘MEQ’, Meeting Efficiency Quotient
by, Janis Whitaker
When was the last time you left a meeting and said, “That was a great meeting. We accomplished a lot. I’m glad I was a part of that.” You can’t remember? Well, you are probably not alone. According to a survey of 1,000 business leaders made by Hofstra University and Harrison Consulting Services, more than 33% of time spent in meetings is unproductive. Another survey indicates that most people are dissatisfied with how meetings are conducted. It appears that very few of us have ever mastered the art of conducting efficient and effective business or team meetings.Why is this so important? Many companies organize their employees into workgroups or teams. And when there are teams, there are meetings: planning meetings, problem-solving groups, up-date meetings, continuous improvement teams… the list goes on.
Unfortunately, much time and money is wasted because most employees have never learned to conduct a results-oriented, efficient meeting!
In my workshop, Power Meetings! Making Meetings Work, I am repeatedly asked what are the top complaints about meetings and how can we improve our effectiveness? Over the years, I have found a need for organizations to improve in five key areas. By focusing on these five factors, your meetings will become more productive immediately!
1. COMMUNICATE A GOAL
” Why are we here? What are we doing?” This is the number one complaint among many committee and group members. Have you heard yourself utter this same thought? No one likes to attend a meeting that has no direction. To combat this age-old problem, have a specific goal or purpose for every meeting you conduct. More importantly, state this goal in advance. By doing this, everyone involved knows 1) the subject matter, 2) why they were invited and 3) what is expected of them. Make your goals specific and action-oriented. Having a specific goal will help participants focus their attention and efforts quickly.
2. PREPARE-PREPARE-PREPARE
To conduct a meeting without preparation is like preparing to fail. People who attend meetings called at the last minute are not prepared to focus on the subject and precious time is wasted. Participants may fail to bring appropriate information or all of the necessary people may not be available on short notice. As a result, the meeting begins on the “wrong foot” and this can lead to meeting disaster.
Ideal meeting preparation looks like this: Determine the specific goal; Invite those who need to attend; Arrange a date, time and location convenient for everyone involved; Develop an agenda; Send a notice in advance to each group member.
On the day of the event, prepare the room so it will be conducive to participation and communication between members. Remember, in many cases, the leader is there to guide the discussion, not lecture. Review the five techniques for increasing your “MEQ” and incorporate them into your preparation.
3. DEVELOP AN AGENDA
Agenda writing is an important part of preparation. An agenda is a list of tasks or major topics to be discussed in the meeting. Just like the goal or purpose, the items should be written so they will be action-oriented. If the agenda is action-oriented, the meeting will tend to be, also. At the end of each gathering, review the agenda, so the group will be able to see their specific accomplishments and track how they are progressing towards their goals.
4. ESTABLISH FOLLOW-UP
Many projects fail because no specific follow-up dates are determined for assignments. At the completion of every meeting, reiterate who is completing which assignments and within what time frame. At the next gathering, review the progress of each assignment. Research shows that assignments will be completed sooner and more often, if there is a specific deadline.
5. BEGIN AND END ON TIME
This skill is the toughest to master and one of the most important. Approximately 5 - 20% of meeting time can be wasted because it didn’t begin on time! Try starting and ending your meetings at an odd time (9:10 - 10:10), or imposing a small penalty (25 cents) for latecomers. Most importantly, begin and end your meeting at the published time. Power Meetings! begin and end on time. If you are consistent, participants will recognize your commitment and know that you value their time. In turn, you will find, they will value yours.
Conducting an effective meeting does not happen on its own. Like any other leadership skill, it takes practice and dedication. If you spend the time to incorporate these five elements into your next meeting, you will be certain to increase your “MEQ”!
