10. Invite only those people who are absolutely essential to the meeting.
Cannon's Law of Meetings states: The productivity of meetings is inversely
proportional to the number of attendees. Not only are more attendees less
productive, they are also not participating in revenue producing billable
activities.
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9. Use Meetings to Make Decisions not to Disseminate Information
I absolutely hate showing up for a meeting only to be given a handout of
information that we will then be lectured on. The problem with this format is
that while the author of the handout is talking about information on page #1,
attendees are thumbing through to page 10 and no one is paying attention to the speaker. Distribute any handouts before the meeting so people have time to review and digest the information. Once the meeting begins, you can start with a productive discussion that leads to a decision or further action.
8. Have an Agenda for the Meeting
An agenda for the meeting will keep it on track. Everyone's time is too
valuable for every meeting to become an open forum.
7. Have a Chairman for the Meeting
Someone needs to be in charge of the meeting. They need to start and end the meeting on time, keep everyone on topic and move things along.
6. Eliminate the Meeting When it is no Longer Needed
If the meeting no longer serves a useful purpose, cancel the meeting. I am
talking about those standing meetings that we all have. Every 3 months or so
review your standing meetings with a critical eye towards reducing the frequency of meeting, reducing the number of attendees or eliminating the meeting altogether.
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Cannon's Law of Meetings states: The productivity of meetings is inversely proportional to the number of attendees.
5. End the Meeting on Time
Let's meet, discuss what we have to, make our decisions and move on. It is up to the Chairman to make sure all meetings end on time. One way to end meetings on time is to schedule meetings close to lunch - and don't have anything available for people to eat. Hunger will take over and the meeting will finish on time.
4. Fine People for Showing up Late for Meetings
An effective way to emphasize the importance of being on time is to have a
monetary penalty for showing up late for the meeting. The fine can range from
$1 on up to whatever it takes to make the point. When an employee waltzes in 1 minute or more late for a meeting they are forced to pay a $1 on the spot. It is actually a lot of fun to enforce the fine and people do get the point. The fines are collected and eventually donated to a local charity.
3. Prepare an Action List
At every meeting prepare an action list of what decisions were made or what
additional action is needed, who is responsible for taking action and when. For example, an action item might be: Herb Cannon will call the client about past due invoices no later than November 3rd and report back to the Principal in Charge as to when payment can be expected. This action item includes what has to be done, who has to do it and by when. If no action items are produced at the meeting, please refer back to item number 6 and question the need for the meeting.
2. Review the Action Items at Your Next Meeting
Make the first thing on your agenda for the next meeting to review the action list from the last meeting. People are much more likely to take action and follow-up on their commitments if they know it will be reviewed at the next
meeting. Give it a try - you will be amazed at the results.
1. Show Up on Time and be Prepared
Woody Allen says that 80% of success in life is showing up. I would modify this somewhat to say that 80% of success in business is showing up well prepared and on time.
Over the years I have seen ridiculous excuses for people not showing up on time. One of my "favorite" incidents happened about 7 years ago when I arrived in New York City for a meeting at 8:00 AM on a Monday morning. In order to make it to the meeting on time, I had to leave my house at 6:30 AM for a 1½-hour commute. At 8:25 AM one of the Principals of this firm, who lived about 20 blocks away, strolled in and declared that it was such a gorgeous day he just had to walk to work that day. Those of you who know me can only imagine my reaction. Here was a Principal in a firm that thought it was okay to show up 25 minutes late and waste the time of 10 other people so he could enjoy a leisurely stroll to work.
Be considerate of others. Their time is just as important as yours and the success of any business depends upon people being where they are supposed to be - when they are supposed to be there. If people in your company can't meet this low threshold of accountability, you are doomed to under achieving at best.