The Art of Meeting

If you ask business people what they do for a living they will usually describe their work with as much grandeur as possible. People's eyes generally glaze over within 30 seconds of me describing my work. Now, my answer to the question, "What do you do for a living?" is simply, "I solve problems and encourage people." Short and simple. For the most part we humans have a need to be impressive, but in large part, what we really do for a living is meet. Unfortunately, we don't always get the best bang for our meeting buck, so to speak. In an effort to facilitate improvement, here are a few points I believe are important to remember before creating or accepting a meeting invite.

1. Know the answer to the question, "Why meet?" Have you ever been invited to a meeting and couldn't for the life of you, figure out why? Meetings should have purpose and substance and have a definable reason for existing. Oh, and the definition should NOT make people's eyes water or go glassy!
2. Document, document and oh yes, document some more. Over the years I've learned that documentation is what saves me from many a difficult situation. So, I became a person who could take good notes. As you grow in a role, work to become well known for the ability to take good notes. When a meeting point is later discussed that documentation will likely be what is trusted as the best source of what really happened. A word to the wise, if it isn't in the notes, it didn't happen.
3. Be present and on time. Have the courtesy to be on time to every meeting. People become known for their ability to manage time and themselves and are frequently measured by their ability to be where they have agreed to be, when they've agreed to be there.
4. Boy Scouts are not the only people who should be prepared. Devote time to subject knowledge before the meeting. If presenting, be ready with a well thought out script or set of speaking notes for leading discussions and presenting the content. Be certain there is enough time to cover the subject while still leaving time for others to ask questions and comment. Meetings are where a group of people collaborate, so everyone should be prepared and able to contribute. In other words, don't be a meeting hog!
5. More on timing. Be sure that meetings you lead start and end on time. People will be more comfortable accepting meeting invites from your calendar if you are personally responsible when it comes to timing. If time appears to be running short, gain agreement of additional time in the future and allow your meeting partners to move on to the other meetings, they no doubt have booked.
6. Ask questions and listen. Be both a good questioner and a great listener. Try to know as much about the meeting participants as possible and work to fit into the natural rhythm of the group; neither asking too many or irrelevant questions nor failing to listen to others.
7. Follow-up. Every meeting will have additional work that needs to follow. Sometimes labeled as 'Action Items' these things require follow-up. Make special note of what is agreed to, making certain to follow-up as expected. Again, credibility is being built or destroyed during meetings.
8. Know when to lead and when to follow. The person who calls the meeting is generally the one who leads, but regardless of who calls the meeting, know your place before entering the conference.

There is so much more to great meetings than this, but it's a good start. Subject matter knowledge, preparation, great social skills and self-management will all be apparent in how you approach and complete meetings. Regardless of whether leading or following, be prepared to be great!

What is your favorite way to prepare for meetings? Share your comments below and help all of us learn to be great meeting participants. Until next week, when we'll share more about life in the world of business,  stay cool and as always, cheerful!