Coaching
Meetings
By Thrity Engineer-Mbuthia
How many meetings have you attended since the year began some four months ago ? Which meetings do you remember ? Which ones were productive ? How much time on average , do you spend in a meeting ?
I recently came across an article written by Priyanka Aggarwal where she was making an observation on the practice of meetings . She captured a quote that said , “ A meeting is an event at which the minutes are kept and the hours are lost .” - Anonymous
If you are like me , you probably dread attending meetings . Context is key , so let us work with a scenario of a planning meeting for a brand launch . A typical meeting is scheduled for 2 hours . The first 15 minutes is spent having people settle down . The late comers stroll in , the tec doesn ’ t work and we spend a few minutes on our phones checking for the latest gossip from the platform formerly known as Twitter . It still feels odd to say X .
The agenda was probably shared , and there were minutes from the last meeting together with other documents that needed to be reviewed . Many times , people come for meetings without having read the documents , only to ask questions that seem to take people backwards rather than forwards .
Action points or the tasks allocated to people are completed , in some cases , haven ’ t even been started . The brand manager is frustrated and is wondering why every person in the organization is not infused with customer centric DNA .
Meetings are a good way for organizations to communicate . Holding a productive meeting can allow teams to share information , solve problems and make decisions . But how can you create a great atmosphere for this to happen ? Here are some considerations .
The preparation
Is it necessary to call a meeting ? I find this goes hand in hand with the question who needs to be there ? Often times , there are options to calling a formal meeting . Simple things , like walking up to a colleague ’ s desk , picking up the phone , or communicating via email or text message can help make a decision . If 3 or more
Meetings are a good way for organizations to communicate . Holding a productive meeting can allow teams to share information , solve problems and make decisions . But how can you create a great atmosphere for this to happen ? people need to be present , perhaps a 10min zoom call may be more impactful .
The Agenda
Be clear on what you want to cover in the meeting . One of the reasons why meetings drag on and on , is because the agenda is not clear or it is not followed . This is also a good place to include feedback from the teams They can report back on the action points captured in the minutes to ensure execution is taking place .
Leadership Style
The person leading the meeting needs to consider their leadership style and their communication style . The authoritative leader will come to a meeting to talk at people and tell them what to do . This may be good in times of crisis , but in other situations , can result in resentment and stress in the team . The democratic leader will allow for conversations and discussions . They listen to ideas and viewpoints and drive inclusivity . The laissez-faire leader will sit back and not make any decisive decisions , leading to possible confusion unless the team is highly motivated and competent . There is no one specific leadership style that works for all situations . The leader must be selfaware , in order to apply the style that is needed in the specific situation .
Meeting disruptions
Technology plays a big part in disrupting meetings , with people being on their phones and laptops . There could be side conversations , conflicts and tensions and dominant participants to have to control . Another disruption can be out of scope topics or discussions . The leader has to
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