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Endeavour to make meetings more dynamic, less drab
Meetings are an inevitable part of the daily work routine in every organisation. Meetings to plan action, meetings to execute plans and meetings to review progress – they no doubt consume a major chunk of an employee’s time. The purpose of holding meetings is generally to gather ideas that give a fillip to the on going activities. But often meetings generate more heat than light. Consequently people view them as colossal waste of time rather than as productive
exercises.
There are more than a few reasons for meetings to remain a drain on time instead of serving as vehicles to enhance productivity. First and foremost they never start and end on time. More often than not they coast aimlessly sans specific agenda. And then there are interrupters, boors, manipulators and naysayers to stall the progress at every turn. Side conversations and topic diversions are common too. The boring and predictable nature of meetings is reason enough to put people to sleep.
When meetings form indispensable elements of your work routine why not endeavour to make them more dynamic and less drab? Never mind if you are not the one running the meeting you can always come up with ideas to transform them to a more lively and interesting format. If you succeed in taking away misery out of meetings you will be doing a world of good to other hapless participants as well. According to Eli Mina the author of The Complete Handbook of Business Meetings, "It is not only up to the manager to make a meeting work. We need to establish a different kind of culture where it’s up to every person at the meeting to pull his or her weight to make it work.”
Here are some smart ideas to turn meetings into short, crisp and above all productive endeavours:
Contribute to agenda: Purpose and agenda are two vital factors that give a meeting a definite direction and a good framework. When a meeting is scheduled help the facilitator in selecting agenda items that require collective face time. Seek the opinion of your colleagues as to what issues they would like to discuss in the meeting. Prepare a list and present it to the facilitator. This helps to sustain the interest and also increase the participation of people.
Redesign format: It so happens that a few dominant people do all the talking while the rest of them do not get a chance to say a word. Meetings should provide an opportunity to hear from many. Take charge to redesign the meeting format so as to release it from the clutches of monopolisers. Introduce icebreakers and brainteasers to keep the creative juices flowing. See that each participant gets an opportunity to speak and contribute meaningfully to further the agenda.
Be the timekeeper: Setting time limits for agenda items and speakers allows coverage of all the issues and also gives everyone a chance to speak. Volunteer to act as a timekeeper. When the agreed upon time is up urge the participants to move on. Imposed time constraints also help to increase creative output.
Be a tangent tracker: Offer to be the tangent tracker. Some people are experts at diverting the issue at hand. They hijack the agenda by taking the discussion off on a tangent. Gently remind people to avoid tangents and you will be successful in keeping the meeting on track.
Humour apart: Though humour is essential to keep everyone in good spirits some people cut jokes all the time and tend to reduce the seriousness of the discussion. You can subtly remind the participants to focus on the issue at hand and reserve the humour for some other time. This helps to keep the meeting on target.
No meeting monsters: Help the facilitator enforce the ground rules of meeting such as turning off cell phones and laptops by all the participants at the outset. Avoiding these interruptions can save a lot of precious time.
Enforce discipline: Meetings often remain inconclusive due to certain disruptive behaviour of the participants. For example some people enjoy taking the opposite track always, while some others say no to every proposal. There are others who are ready to rake up issues that stir a hornet’s nest. When you notice any such behaviour ring a bell to make the offender realise his mistake and put an end to the offensive behaviour.
Effective use of meeting time builds enthusiasm and generates commitment among the participants. Contribute your might to set a positive tone for interaction among the participants. They are sure to experience a sense of achievement. Your mission to make meetings interesting and productive is no doubt accomplished.
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N. PURNIMA SRIKRISHNA
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