Great Results, One Great Meeting At a Time
20
by Christy Monroe
No matter what line of work you are in …meetings happen. Managers of volunteer programs are no exception. Efficient and successful meetings might not be on the top of your wish list, but I’d wager that improved time management and successful results are contenders.
Recently, I had the privilege to be part of a Great Meetings workshop by Dee Kelsey, an accomplished trainer, facilitator, and author. Throughout the day she challenged our group with questions and offered tips on overcoming meeting mishaps as a facilitator and as a participant.
One of my favorite parts of the workshop was a discussion around the question, “Should we have a meeting?” As simple as it sounds, how many times have you found yourself in a less-than-worthwhile meeting situation, checking your watch and the path to the door for your best escape route?
The point that Dee made is that unless interactive communication is needed in order to achieve a clear objective, a meeting is not necessarily the action needed. For example, team-building or sharing of information is often mistaken as an excuse for a meeting.
Let’s take a poll:
What would make you feel more bonded with your co-workers as a team?
a) Monday morning team meetings in the conference room
b) A scheduled social or team-building activity like a volleyball or baseball game, a team picnic, or working together at a hands-on community service project
Meetings need clear outcomes that justify their purpose. Taking on the roll of facilitator requires planning, preparation, and practice. Dee has lots of tips and tools to offer novice to expert meeting leaders from her years of experience in training and facilitation with organizations like Hewlett Packard, L.L.Bean, Bates College, and the Nature Conservancy.
Great Meetings! Great Results,written by Dee Kelsey and Pam Plumb, is a worthwhile resource for anyone who regularly attends or facilitates meetings.
Meetings happen, but with some practical tips and tools great results will happen too.
Christy Monroe is the Training VISTA at the Maine Commission for Community Service.
March 21st, 2008 at 8:16 am
I enjoyed the portion of the day that discussed various types of people attending a meeting and how best to handle them. How to make the quiet ones speak up, and how best to handle those that dominate the topics were particularly interesting to me.
March 21st, 2008 at 8:39 am
I agree with Christy that one of the “a-ha” moments of the workshop was the first, simplest question: do we need to have a meeting? It’s up to the facilitator to make this decision, and then to decide who should be included. I’m sure we’ve all left a meeting or two feeling that it was a huge waste of our valuable time. As facilitators, we can lessen this risk by planning the meeting design effectively, starting with defining the purpose and desired outcomes, creating and sharing an agenda, and choosing the most appropriate tools for the audience. As participants, we can influence the process and outcome as well. This workshop truly changed the way that I think about meetings.
March 21st, 2008 at 6:59 pm
Respect is a key aspect of Dee Kelsey’s
approach to meetings and most of what she does in life. Dee is a personal friend of mine so I tend to be a bit prejudiced in her favor. That being said I think the essence of the question “Do we need a meeting?” is basic respect for the people involved, for the problem before us, the process and the desired result. Knowing the goal is important and sharing information and team building can be done in better ways than in a meeting. Having a clear agenda and expectations for results from a meeting are critical. So if you respect the people with whom you are working ask Dee’s question, “Do we need a meeting?”