| From the corporate world: they are thinking about the same
things we are! And, to be truthful, they were thinking about meetings
long before educators realized that we had a problem.
Agendas mean business.... in business
A good meeting is hard to find. A carefully thought-out agenda, communicated
in advance, makes all the difference.
Time, said Ovid, is the devourer of all things. Ovid might have added
that formless meetings are the insidious devourers of time. Then he'd have
really been onto something.
Few calendar entries prompt more dread and resentment among busy
people than a scheduled meeting with an open agenda -- or, just as alarming,
a nebulous agenda. In daring attempts to tame the no-agenda beast,
some entrepreneurs impose cute conditions on any meeting they agree to
attend: one company president, for instance, holds meetings only in rooms
with no chairs. That, he figures, will keep things moving along.
But such ad hoc cures miss the point. The issue isn't simply one
of long-windedness versus brevity -- although setting time limits is certainly
a good thing. The best meetings, instead, are distinguished by having a
focus, a goal that can be accomplished only by gathering people together.
The best meetings involve preparation, a careful allocation of how time
will be spent. And the best meetings are conducted according to an agenda,
articulated in advance and detailed even to the point that each issue is
allotted a certain time segment. In a nutshell, the best meetings are
so well conceived that their payoffs could almost be guaranteed before
they begin.
It's amazing how many poorly run meetings most people have to
endure.
Keep to the Schedule
"I make the introductions, but once the meeting is under way,
it's under way -- to jump in would be like trying to stop the Queen Mary.
Everyone hopes we've done enough homework that it will go smoothly. The
biggest problem is time: people get so wrapped up in what they're saying
that they don't want to stop.
We emphasize the time limits when we're planning, and then again
two minutes before the meeting starts In some sessions we have timekeepers,
who will clink a glass when there are two
minutes left for each section."
-- Frederick DeJohn, director and facilitator, the Western
New
York Technology Development Center
Have a Focus and Stick With It
"We had a goal: we wanted to show that we have an extremely structured
problem-solving approach to TQM here at Fedco and that our employees actively
own TQM. That's why the longest portion of the meeting was devoted to the
employees themselves talking about what we have accomplished."
Encourage Participants to Plan Their Parts
"The quality team I'm on met and said, 'Hey, we've got visitor
coming' -- and obviously, you're going to plan something if someone's coming.
We figured we'd run through the TQM programs, talk about what we'd learned,
and explain how far we've gotten. We weren't told to make a good impression.
We just wanted to tell it like it is."
-- Rich Jetter, Fedco union president and quality-team member
"There's a great payoff to having people prepare their own presentations:
explaining what they're doing to an outside group lends it credibility.
Our people saw that what they've done is of interest to other companies,
that it's important -- maybe even more important than they'd thought."
-- Gary Moose, Fedco president
Rehearse
"We did two dress rehearsals for the team presentations, in which
people would be talking individually about how they were involved in the
TQM program. I put together all the information in a rough format, which
I ended up compiling into a big booklet for everybody who attended. At
the first rehearsal we figured out what there was too much of and what
we were missing. We had two hours and 45 minutes of material instead of
45 minutes. So I trimmed it down, and we practiced it a second time until
people felt comfortable. A couple of people wanted to practice their sections
again and again. One gentleman came in at o'clock at night
to practice with me, one-on-one. That was great, but I wanted to make sure
they didn't become like robots. My own presentations, I practiced a couple
of times in my head -- and even out loud -- when I was setting up the room."
-- Wally Kensy, Fedco manager of TQM
Do a Follow-Up to Tie Things Together
"After each networking meeting, I put together a package for
everyone who was there, which includes an attendance sheet and other
materials the company didn't pass out but wanted people to have. The cover
letter thanks the host company, makes a few comments about the session,
and tells people when and where the next meeting's going to be. I also
compile the program-assessment sheets and type up a copy of the critique
and feedback. The formal feedback process tells the audience that
we're interested in their input -- and we do get some valuable suggestions."
-- Frederick DeJohn, director and facilitator, Western New
York
Technology Development Center |
