Excellence Starts With Improvement

Have you ever wondered, “Why am I here?” or “What is the point of this meeting?” Many of us have been to at least a few meetings before, and hopefully a good majority of those meetings have been great and productive – that’s the goal after all! But for many, meetings tend to drag on and seem like a waste of precious time and money, and sometimes leave us frustrated by the end. Meetings are a part of our daily work-place lives, so whether we like them or not, learning to make the most of our meetings will benefit us in the long run. But how do we deal with those extra challenging meetings? The ones that we just can’t understand the purpose behind or that quickly get off track. Here are some ideas on how to take action and continue to improve meetings! 

1. Establish What’s Going Well & Not So Well

It’s easy for us to jump right into everything that’s not working and overanalyze the frustrating or poorly run meetings. But in truth, many of our meetings get the job done, they may just need some tweaking. So, before diving into all of the things that aren’t going well, consider the things your team does well during meetings! 

One thing my team does well in meetings is taking the time to connect as humans. In the first 5 minutes or so, we talk about the things going well, the things brightening someone’s day, the things everyone is looking forward to, or the simple things that are making everyone smile. This breaks some of the initial ice and sets the tone for a positive and productive meeting. 

Now, think about what isn’t going quite as well in your meetings. Is everyone present and engaged? Does your team have the right information and tools to accomplish what it is that needs to be done? Are team members working efficiently and effectively? Or do meetings cause frequent arguments and disagreements between team members? Whatever the problem is, take some time to give it some focused thought and ask yourself what might be causing the problem. Try to see it from all perspectives; think about outside factors at play; and then decide how you’re going to approach the problem. 

2. Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself

Have you ever heard that saying? Well, it applies pretty well to this situation. We’ve established that for many of us, meetings aren’t our favorite thing to do. But when we go into a meeting with a mindset of dread, we set ourselves up for less than satisfactory meetings. If we practice emotional intelligence instead, we can take a moment to reflect, recenter, and move forward.   

Here are some top tips for clearing any emotional baggage before entering a new meeting: 

• Write down any distracting thoughts on a to-do list to follow up on later (if it requires action) so you can set it aside, or on a sticky note you can simply throw away (if it really needs to be let go). This gives your brain permission to stop thinking about that thing and a concrete place to put it, rather than hanging on to it. 
• Take 90 seconds and watch a second-hand go around on a clock face. The act of focusing on something mundane like that for a concentrated 90 seconds can reset the brain and stop the cycle of thinking about whatever had you frustrated from before. 
  

 3. Ask Good Questions to Improve the Quality of Your Meetings

Asking good questions helps us to reflect on both how we and others feel about the meetings we’re a part of, and sets us up for focused improvement. Here are some questions you may ask as you reflect on how the meetings you run are going, or how the meetings you attend are going. 

Both leaders and team members have a role to play in making meetings run as smoothly as possible. We co-create the environments we’re in, so it’s up to each of us to co-create greatness in our meetings…whether we’re running them or attending them. So, each of us has a role in considering how we could make them even better, and these questions can help us do just that. 

 4. Ask For Feedback

With improvement in mind, one great way to think about what’s going to change, is to ask those involved for their feedback. Different team members may have different perspectives on how meetings are going. If you’re the one running the meeting, it’s beneficial to acknowledge other perspectives so you can move forward with input from all team members and make future decisions that work for everyone. 

When receiving feedback, remember to stay open-minded and encourage others to do the same. While it can be easy to take things personally, try to stay neutral. Be compassionate, give thought to all suggestions, and take time to listen to everyone. Keep your mouth closed and your ears open. Listen for genuine understanding, and try to hear where they are coming from, rather than listening to respond or react. It’s amazing what we can learn when we stop talking and start listening. And many times, those who are most impacted by our actions are waiting for us to ask us how our actions impact them.  

These kinds of conversations may not be comfortable, but if they mean better, more engaging and more supportive meetings, then it’s well worth the time! 

5. Create a Plan and Follow Through

It can be nice to think through what’s going well and not so well, ask for feedback, and then contemplate about what could be done differently, but without a plan of action and a way to move forward, some of the same challenges may come back again in the future. Now that you’ve identified problem areas, it’s time to make a plan and see it through to the end. 

Here are some places you can start! 

• Set a reminder on your calendar to send out the agenda in advance 
• Estimate how much time you need for each discussion point so things keep moving forward 
• Block out time at the beginning of your meetings for opening remarks and human-connection-building conversation 
• Meet in a room with a clock or set a timer on your phone so we don’t go over time or get off track 
• Leave time at the end for a good wrap up and opportunity to ask questions 

I hope you’ll find that things run smoother and that both you and your team members leave meetings feeling more satisfied and ready to take on the day. Let us know how you continually improve your meetings! 

Striving for continued improvement is difficult, but leaders and team members who commit to even better - despite the challenges - show that they’re committed to each other, to their clients, and to their organization as a whole. In choosing to deal with challenging meetings, we consciously choose to put the good of the organization first – and we see great results when we do! Want to learn more about the good of the organization? It’s one of the core tenets of our Change Makers Certification Program and we have lots of other resources if you’re interested in more information!