in a complex world
TJF: Koa!
KWD: Uh oh…
TJF: Koa, I
can’t believe you got into the trash again!
KWD: Sorry…sorry…sorry! Please, don’t make me go to a meeting,
please!
TJF:
Meeting? What are you talking
about?
KWD: Well, I
know you’re really mad because this is the third time this week I got into the
trash, so I thought you might punish me by making me go to a meeting.
TJF: What? First off, I never “punish” you – I just
clean up after you, and second, what do meetings have to do with anything?
KWD: Humans
talk about meetings. They sound
terrible. Some say they are boring, but
some say they’re “painful”. One person
even said she’d rather die than go to another meeting!
TJF: Well,
that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but it is true that many people are
frustrated with meetings. Many times,
they are unproductive and can feel like a waste of time.
KWD: Why do
people bother to have meetings?
TJF: They can
be really useful. They can help a group plan
and move forward on critical issues.
KWD: How do you separate out the good meetings from
the bad?
TJF: Your question
about why people have meetings is a great place to start. Everyone calling a meeting should be able to
clearly state their intention for calling the meeting. Many times the “painful” meetings happen when
no one is clear why they are there or how to participate.
KWD: You mean
people just get in a room and wander around together then leave?
TJF: Well,
kind of – if not physically, certainly mentally.
KWD: Humans are
funny animals. I can understand if there
was food involved, but the rest…
TJF: Basically,
there are three types of meetings- meetings to give information, meetings to
get information, and meetings to decide a course of action. By clarifying what kind of meeting (or agenda
item) you are dealing with, you can help people effectively participate.
KWD: I don’t
get it.
TJF: For
example, if you are holding a meeting to give information, then it is clear to
participants that you just want them there to take in new information. Participants might ask clarifying questions,
but the intention of the meeting is not to generate new courses of action or to
decide whether you are going to do something.
The meeting is to give information.
By contrast, if you have a meeting or agenda item in which you want to
get information, you are inviting people to generate ideas and to provide
information. Finally, it is good to
clarify if you are asking people to make a decision and if so, what are you
asking them to decide. Sharing the
intent of the meeting with people before the meeting lets them come prepared to
participate.
KWD: So if a decision
has already been made, you should let people know up front but if you want new
ideas or you want them to decide something let them know that up front too?
TJF:
Yes. Getting clear on what kind
of meeting you are having and why, make it easier to decide who should be at
the meeting or whether you should even have one. Many meetings to give information may be
better handled just sending out a memo then giving an opportunity for questions. If you intend to gather information, do you
have everyone in the room you need to see the issue fully? If you are deciding something, are all the necessary
decision makers invited?
KWD: So
basically, if you decide what kind of meeting you are having and what it is
about, meetings will be better because people will know how to participate and
they will be more likely to get invited to the right kinds of meetings where
stuff actually gets done?
TJF: Exactly. Now about that garbage…
KWD: If
that’s upsetting to you, I wouldn’t recommend going upstairs.
This
blog post was adapted from ideas in:
Swartz,
D. H. (2001). Designing and leading participative meetings workbook: A comprehensive
learning
resource notebook on how to design participative meetings and then conduct
them in ways
that motivate people to contribute because they feel heard. Seattle, WA:
Effectiveness
Resource Group, Inc.
