Fast Company Article, April 1999 Joyce Jacobs

"You Have to Start Meeting Like This! ". Page 204-210 by Gina Imperato

Well, if you are in Extension, meetings are a given. I for one, am very irritated by the number of meetings that I have to sit through only to have nothing accomplished. But, if I am honest, there are probably those who attend meetings that I am in charge of, that might have a complaint or two about how I do things.

It was coincidental that I read this article today, as I was just thinking about the possibility of writing a guide for 4-H Youth Leaders to use when they are in charge of a meeting. So, I read the article hoping that I could glean a tip or two for myself and also for the possible project.

Well, the concepts in the article weren't all new, but it did have some points that were good to consider. The article focuses on information from Michael Begeman who is a leading authority on business meetings. The first thing he was asked for the article was to describe one of the most effective meetings he had been at recently and he described one at which all sides were able to voice their opinions, but no decision was made on the issue. Well, I could certainly go along with the "all sides heard" part, but quite honestly, I also like action at a meeting and in most cases, if no decision is made, I am frustrated! So, case in point, I guess I need to be more tolerant of meetings that don't always produce the outcome (something happening) that I like.

He goes on to say that producing a great meeting is like producing a great product. "You don't just build it. You think about it, plan it, and design it". Now with more and more of what people do taking place in teams, meetings become very important in getting the work done. He talks about the importance of different meetings needing different conversations. Some meetings need to be "conversations for opportunity", some for "conversations for possibility" and some for "conversation for action". He stresses that if you make it clear to people what kind of conversation they're going to have, it imposes a certain amount of discipline on them.

He goes on to give several tips throughout the article. One is on how much to record. He suggests focusing on taking notes on three categories: decisions reached, action items that people need to follow up on, and open issues.

Playing by the rules of engagement - what the group agrees on is also important. Is there a strong rule about starting and ending on time? Is there a clear objective for the meeting - if not - will the meeting be terminated? Creating a clear set of rules gives people a chance to design how they treat one another in meetings. One of his rules of engagement - that not all successful meetings end with a decision and it takes courage for a group to end a meeting without making a decision.

He also suggests putting time on a meeting agenda at the very beginning to ask "Is there anything that people need to say in order to be 'present' at the meeting?" This allows people the opportunity to get something out on the table so they can focus on the business at hand with a clear mind.

And what about verbal language? Begeman says that leaders send nonverbal as well as verbal messages. He suggests that if you are leading a group of people that expect you to make a decision, then act accordingly and sit at the head of the table to signal that you are in charge. Standing while others are sitting signals that you have the floor. If you want to be seen as a collaborator, ask one of your team members to run the meeting to show others you want to share the leadership. Or to show that "I'm with you" sit on one side of the table. I thought that these were interesting and wondered what signals I send at meetings.

He also suggests having fun at meetings by handing out toys. I have to admit, I have been at meetings where this has been a lot of fun, but I have also seen it make some people very uncomfortable. I guess knowing your audience would be key here. Begeman believes that involving the whole person in your meeting will help people learn more, remember what they learn as, well as making them more creative. "If you want people to work together effectively, let them play together." He suggests squeeze balls, slinkies and other little gizmos that you turn over and play with. He believes that these toys are great stress relievers and a great creativity enhancer.

Lastly he says that setting time aside at the end of meetings to make suggestions for improvement is helpful as long as it is practical and doesn't go overboard.

So, what about my meetings? Well, I like the idea of "rules of engagement" and I think I might try the toy idea on a couple of committees that need to get their creative juices flowing!

-- Anonymous, February 03, 2000