Running a Meeting: Ten Rookie Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
By Suzanne Bates
 Running
a good meeting is really an art. Remember all the places
you’ve worked, or the times you’ve been on a
client’s site, when a meeting failed to get the job
done? In countless organizations, meetings are scheduled
back-to-back, start late, lose focus, erupt in personal
conflict, accomplish little, leave no one accountable, and
make people miserable.
It is up to you, as the leader in a consulting engagement,
to learn the art of the effective meeting. Run lousy meetings
and you will be judged accordingly. Step up to the meeting
leadership role and you will have enormous influence and
a more productive consulting experience. This article highlights
the ten most common “rookie mistakes” leaders
make in meetings—and how to avoid them.
Successful meetings start before the meeting.
You must decide whether to have a meeting at all. You also
must be strategic about whom to invite, what to put on the
agenda, and how to win support or uncover objections in
advance.
Some meetings are unnecessary. Ask yourself what issues
could be handled without a meeting, or could a meeting be
postponed or avoided? As for who should attend
the meeting, I know one smart CEO, a client of mine, who
invites only those who actually will contribute to the meeting;
he believes the only way to streamline the meeting culture
is to make sure that people attend meetings for a reason.
Mistake #1: Winging It without an Agenda
A simple agenda can help set expectations, keep a meeting
on track, and create accountability. Without an agenda,
meeting missions fall by the wayside. Participants cannot
prepare, so time is lost while people read or catch up during
the meeting. People will hijack an agenda-less meeting,
while impatient participants whisper in side conversations.
The meeting ends before decisions are made, or after key
people have left. It all adds up to low morale and high
frustration.
Mistake #2: Skipping Advance Communication
Productive meetings start with pre-meeting communication.
You may need to ask questions, get feedback or buy-in ahead
of time. Talking beforehand with influential people who
will attend uncovers issues and helps you plan. Before the
meeting, contact stakeholders and influencers to discuss
options and reach agreement about an approach or action.
Mistake #3: Not Encouraging Participation
Top leaders place a high value on discussion because it
taps employees’ collective knowledge. One consultant
colleague of mine encourages people to raise objections
by noticing who is quiet, and then asking their opinions.
“You have to confront the silence. You don’t
want those who disagree to walk out and undermine you later.”
Participation is essential to harness your organization’s
creative power, so you cannot afford to let a few individuals
dominate the conversation. Make it safe and easy for everyone—even
the quiet ones—to get involved. To stimulate discussion,
ask open-ended questions like: “What’s your
reaction…?” or “How could we…?”
One CEO always asks: “What do I need to know that
I do not know?” Not only does he hear what he might
not otherwise hear, people know they can say what needs
to be said, without fear of retribution.
Mistake #4: Mismanaging Time
A big complaint about meetings is that they start late,
end late, and waste time in between. You can radically change
your organization’s meeting culture simply by starting
and ending on time. People will be much happier going to
a meeting and will participate more fully if they know their
time will be respected and they will accomplish what they
came to do. Insist on good practices across the board, beginning
with starting on time.
Mistake #5: Mishandling Conflict
While positive, healthy conflict helps promote discussion
before decision-making, meeting leaders must beware of negative,
personal attacks that poison the atmosphere and impede progress.
Make it safe to disagree so participants debate issues on
their merits. Allowing the discussion to get personal or
issues to go unresolved can damage the whole organization.
To manage negative conflict, identify common goals,
build on agreements, avoid placing blame, and have zero
tolerance for personal attacks.
Mistake #6: Not Reaching Consensus
Your goal in most meetings is to gather enough information
to either make a decision on your own, get a consensus on
a course of action, or to take a vote. Consensus builds
in accountability and helps ensure that people act on decisions.
Consensus does not imply an absence of conflict, but the
resolution of conflict in a manner acceptable to
a majority. A leader’s role here is to define the
issue, encourage brainstorming, synthesize the conversation,
and narrow the options, then call for a decision or make
one.
Mistake #7: Failing to Control Difficult People
People who argue with you or talk amongst themselves can
take a meeting off track in a hurry. While debate is usually
healthy, some people will test the limits by arguing miniscule
points or refusing to see others’ views.
The trick here is direct intervention. Have a one-on-one
conversation with the disruptive person, acknowledging a
known issue and allowing that person to vent or discuss.
Point out the behavior you appreciate, and the behavior
that does not work. During meetings, allow disruptors to
speak their piece, but enforce time limits and move on.
Ask other leaders to do the same.
Mistake #8: Tolerating Side Meetings
Side meetings, another problem in many meeting cultures,
happen because they are tolerated or because meetings get
sidetracked and/or run too long. If people are bored or
restless, they start whispering, unaware of or not caring
about being rude or how others see them.
Handle disruptive side meetings by gradually escalating
your intervention. First, look at the side-talkers until
you catch their eyes. If they don’t get the message,
walk over to them or call on them. If your meeting rules
prohibit side talking, remind the group of that. If people
don’t get the message, pull them aside afterward,
and make it clear that such behavior cannot help them or
the team.
Mistake #9: Not Motivating Everyone
In one TV newsroom where I worked, the boss held a meeting
first thing every morning, asking each of the reporters
and producers for an “idea for the day.” Knowing
you would always be called upon was highly motivating.
You didn’t come without an idea. When the boss doled
out the day’s news assignments, those who contributed
received the big assignments.
Even people who are happy to participate in meetings may
not always come to the table with a new idea or insight
unless they’re asked to do so. As the meeting
leader, you can spark creativity just by putting people
on notice that they must come prepared to do more than discuss
what other people offer.
Mistake #10: Not Summarizing Effectively
Leaders must have the ability to summarize meeting points,
which means they have the ability to listen well and provide
a brief but accurate review of what has been said. You must
listen to everything, including what’s unspoken. You
must also have a command of language and the ability to
clarify concepts so you can sum up the discussion’s
main points.
Conclusion
In many ways, leading a meeting is like juggling. A good
leader keeps the balls in the air, stays focused, makes
it a little entertaining, and ends with a big finish. Taking
responsibility for this role is half the battle in leading
good meetings. Remember, everyone wants somebody to lead.
Take up the role, accept it, grow with it, and soon you’ll
have others asking, “How is it you run such good meetings?”
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Suzanne Bates is President and CEO of Bates
Communications, and author of Speak Like a CEO: Secrets
for Commanding Attention and Getting Results. She is a former
television news anchor who is now an executive coach, speaker
and consultant. Her firm specializes in helping executives
and professionals become stars in their industries. Information
on workshops, seminars and executive coaching is available
at www.bates-communications.com.
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