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Brilliant meetings

Every time

It isn't rocket science!

7 tips to transform your meetings

Prepared by:

Dave McIntosh
Mike Osborne
Olivia McFadyen

Version 1.0 June 2009


Brilliant meetings - every time

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Tell us what you think


We have written this booklet to help you turn your meetings into a productive
way to achieve your goals. We believe that using even one of these tips can
make a difference to your meetings. Using all of them can change your
concept of what meetings can do forever.
Send us an email (dave.mcintosh@actionmeetings.com) and let us know how
you got on. Some questions you might want to answer:
• What type of meeting did you use the tips in?
• Which tips did you try?
• Were they successful? If so, how did they change the meeting?
• Were they unsuccessful? If so, why do you think the tip(s) didn’t work?

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Table of contents
Not another meeting….. .......................................................................................................... 5
Cost of failed meetings ................................................................................................. 5
Why meetings fail – points of pain ................................................................................ 6

Seven tips to transform your meetings .................................................................................... 7


Tip 1: Set Ground Gules ............................................................................................... 8
Tip 2: Get participants into the meeting ........................................................................ 9
Tip 3: Create the agenda as a set of clear Outcomes ................................................ 10
Tip 4: Generate Action Points ..................................................................................... 11
Tip 5: Use the Parking Lot .......................................................................................... 12
Tip 6: Get participants out of the meeting................................................................... 13
Tip 7: Use a facilitator ................................................................................................. 14

About Action Meetings Limited .............................................................................................. 15


Services ...................................................................................................................... 15
Find out more .............................................................................................................. 15
Contact us ................................................................................................................... 15

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Not another meeting…..

Like it or not, meetings are an essential business tool.


Every organisation, irrespective of size, requires people to coordinate and complete
tasks to meet their goals. Those goals and tasks are usually determined in meetings.
Meetings can be extraordinarily effective and productive. However, in the main, they
are treated with disdain as a “waste of money, brains and time”. Why is this so? And,
more importantly, why does it continue to be the case?
In our view, the problem is that the fundamental meeting process is broken. The
Action Meetings® process addresses the reasons that meetings fail and produces a
quantum leap in productivity and satisfaction.

Cost of failed meetings


• Meetings cost a huge amount of money.
In fact, if meetings were a budget line in any part of an organisation, they would
most likely require a business case for board approval!
• Productivity declines when meetings take too long.
• Morale suffers when meetings achieve very little.
• Return on investment of peoples’ time (both financially and personally) is poor.
• Participation diminishes when an individual or group dominates and stifles
other points of view – losing the benefits of collaboration.
• More critically, the failures impact on the intended purpose of the meeting
causing limited delivery and reduced yield for the business.
These could include; projects running late, slower product to market, project
risk not being identified, operational inefficiency, failure to address strategic
issues, and so on.

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Why meetings fail – points of pain


Meetings fail for many reasons. Research over 15 years has revealed 21 universal
reasons that contribute to poor meeting performance or failure. These fall into the
six categories detailed in the following table.
Category Descriptions

Time • Take too long


• Start and/or end late
Direction • Achieve little or nothing
• Endless discussion
• Irrelevant discussion
• Unclear purpose or outcomes
• Too many topics
Participation • Not a team activity
• Domination by one person or group
• Lack of or no participation from one or more
attendees
• Playing field not level
• Little or no buy-in
Personal conflict • Conflict
• Butting in
• Personal attacks
Disruptions • Diversions
• Hidden agendas or power play
• Side issues
Engagement • Interruptions – cell phones, and other “always on”
technology such as PDAs and laptops
• Some things cannot or will not be said
• Wrong people in attendance

Note: Action Meetings refers to the ‘attendees’ as participants – because they


are expected to participate not merely attend.

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Seven tips to transform your meetings

Action Meetings deals with all the reasons and effects of poor meeting practice and
behaviour.
From the Action Meetings process, we have compiled seven tips that will help you to
increase productivity and satisfaction. You will also benefit from increased
participation from all of your team members.
Use one or more of these tips and your meetings will improve. Try one and when you
have mastered it, try another one.
Use all of them as in the Action Meetings process and the results will amaze you.

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Tip 1: Set Ground Rules

Description

Ground Rules set the expectation for the standard of behaviour of all meeting
participants. This is achieved by having all participants agree to a set of Ground
Rules at each meeting.

Why use?

These govern the behaviour while in the meeting, just as the Road Code governs
smooth, safe road use.

How to use

Action Meetings developed the following set of Ground Rules. These can be used as
is or tailored to your specific meeting requirements.
The Ground Rules must be adopted at the beginning of each meeting – do not fall into
the “we all know the Ground Rules, don’t we?” trap.
Once you start to assume Ground Rule agreement, their effectiveness will diminish.

Ground Rule Rationale

1 All participants are equal This sets a level playing field for all participants.
2 Keep to the agreed Outcomes No diversions, no hidden agendas.
3 Closed Outcomes are closed Do not revisit closed Outcomes (agenda items) – keep
moving forward.
4 Hear people out, be concise Butting in may clip valuable input and reduce
participation; but keep it short!
5 No side conversations They are either irrelevant and a distraction or the content
should be heard by all.
6 Switch off ‘always on’ technology You want people to be 100% present in the meeting.
– cell phones, PDAs, and so on
7 Critique ideas, not people Getting personal leads to aggression or shut down –
neither is productive.
8 Speak for yourself Your opinion has weight, it is not necessary to invoke
bigger powers (for example, “everyone knows”)
9 Respect confidentiality You can share important information that will not leave
the room.
10 Avoid the blame game Blame is about the past – you are here to focus on the
future.
11 It’s OK to change your mind You don’t want people to feel that they have to stick with
an original opinion or idea in light of new information.
Avoid the ‘monkey trap’! (Google “monkey trap” for an
explanation)
12 First and Last Word is personal The entry and exit points of the meeting (First and Last
space Words) are for each participant alone and are not to be
interrupted or debated.

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Tip 2: Get participants into the meeting

Description

But everyone is here, what do you mean? Yes, the people may well be in the meeting
room but are their minds and thoughts there? Do they know the expected standard
of behaviour (see Ground Rules above)? Do they know (and own) the purpose and
outcomes of the meeting?

Why use?

Often people are still thinking about the previous meeting, the argument they had a
little while ago, what the boss said that left them feeling peeved, or their badly injured
pet that they need to pick up from the vet.

How to use

The way to get participants into the meeting that works every time is to follow these
three steps.
1. Read and agree the Ground Rules – this sets the tone and says you mean
business.
2. Let everyone have a First Word. The First Word is part of the Action Meetings
process and is the opportunity for each person to say what they need to say to
put them into the meeting. It is important that this initial participation is
considered by the other participants as Personal Space (see the Ground Rules).
The power of the First Word is that each person has to speak so everyone gets to
participate immediately. Where there are people who do not know each other it
also works as an introduction.
No, it is not a touchy-feely tree-hugger’s dream come true. It is a powerful
technique and it works – thousands of Action Meetings have proven its
effectiveness.
3. Review and agree the agenda before starting so the purpose is clear and agreed
by all. An Action Meetings “agenda” is created as a set of Outcomes. See Tip 3.

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Tip 3: Create the agenda as a set of clear Outcomes

Description

Meeting Outcomes are results or visible effects. Another way to look at Outcomes is
to consider them as the destinations, where you want to be at the end of each agenda
item.

Why use?

An Outcome-based agenda sets a high-level of focus as everyone knows where they


are going. This is in contrast to traditional agendas, which are subject lists that are
starting points and can go anywhere (and often do). Think of traditional agenda
items as being inherently divergent and Action Meetings Outcomes as inherently
convergent.

How to use

While developing and refining Action Meetings we discovered that any agenda item
really only has one of three general types of Outcome:
• Understanding – the discussion and debate is focussed on gaining a common
understanding of the issue or item.
• Agreement – everyone agrees on the way forward, makes a decision.
• Assignment – tasks are assigned to people.
Outcomes are stated in “Outcome language”. This is always in the past tense, as if the
“destination” has been reached. The three possible outcomes are easily created by
appending the relevant word - Understood, Agreed and Assigned.

Example

Budget reductions
• Necessity understood
• Reductions agreed
Budget re-appropriations
• Necessity understood
• Re-appropriations agreed
There are important distinctions in this example:
• You separate out reductions and re-appropriations explicitly as separate
Outcomes. This provides focus and minimises crosstalk.
• You separate “understanding” from “agreement” so there is no need to debate
the pros and cons but confine discussion to understanding the need before
agreeing the details of the reductions.
Altering the agenda format to Outcome-based will produce a longer list of items but it
will take less time to go through them because the subject focus is tighter.

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Tip 4: Generate Action Points

Description

To be effective, Action Points must be SMART. In other words the Action Point must
be:
S Specific Be clear on what has to be done (use active voice);
for example, “Draft a response to the Request for Proposal
(RFP)”.
M Measurable Produce a tangible result.
If it cannot be measured then it is not likely to be done or
done properly.
A Assigned The Action Point must be assigned to someone at the
meeting. Assigning it to someone who is absent means that
it won’t get done through either a lack of buy-in or
understanding.
R Realistic Otherwise it just won’t happen.
T Time-bound No date set for completion means that it does not get
completed. Set a realistic date for the Action Point to be
completed by.

Why use?

Action Points, once completed, deliver the tangible value of the meeting.

How to use

Listen for when to generate an Action Point. This is commonly when:


• The discussion seems to be going nowhere (possibly due to a lack of
information)
• A decision is made (as it likely requires action from someone)
Action points not only produce tangible value but they also shorten the meeting.
Once an Outcome has generated an Action Point or points, generally no more
discussion is required.

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Tip 5: Use the Parking Lot

Description

The Parking Lot is usually a section on the white board where ideas that are not
relevant to the current meeting are noted so that they do not get lost.

Why use?

Using the Parking Lot allows the meeting to manage digressions, impasses, conflict,
and good ideas, that are not in the scope of the current meeting.
Digressions, impasses, conflict, and good ideas (not in scope) are all meeting killers
in different ways:
• Digressions divert attention and cause the meeting to lose focus – but often the
discussion is important and valuable and you do not want to suppress
participation or spontaneity.
• Impasses occur when there is insufficient information or participants are
unable to reach consensus. Wasting everyone’s time when no progress is being
made leads to lower morale, lower participation, and poor decision-making.
• Conflict is managed in a similar manner – park the issue causing the conflict so
that progress can be made.
• Often a good idea that is not in the scope of the current meeting is raised.
Parking this captures the thought and allows the meeting to continue without a
loss of focus on the Outcomes agreed to at the beginning of the meeting.
The Action Meetings Parking Lot manages these effectively and ensures that
participants are heard and road blocks are avoided.

How to use

“Parking” the digression for later discussion ensures the person who raised the
subject does not feel that they are being ignored or that the input is not valued.
Where there is conflict or an impasse (for example, participants arguing from
intransigent positions), parking the item will defuse the situation and allow the
meeting to progress.
It has been managed not buried.
Once all Outcomes have been closed, the items in the Parking Lot are discussed and
decisions made about what actions need to be taken.

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Tip 6: Get participants out of the meeting

Description

In order to ensure that all Outcomes have been completed, all Parking Lot items
decided on, and all Action Points are understood, a review of these must be
conducted after the last Outcome has been closed. Then the only thing left is to get
the people ready for whatever they are doing next.

Why use?

This shuts down the meeting in an orderly and transparent manner. All participants
are in agreement that the meeting has met its goals, know what they need to do next,
and are able to move on to their next activity.

How to use

The four elements of this tip are described in this topic.

Review Outcomes

Confirm all the Outcomes are complete.

Decide on Parking Lot items

Get the meeting’s decision on what to do with the Parking Lot items. There are only
three decisions that can be made:
• Discard the item as being no longer relevant
• Assign it as an Outcome of this or another meeting
• Assign as an Action Point immediately

Review Action Points

Read through the Action Point list confirming the details, who is assigned to each,
and the completion date. This ensures clarity and buy-in.

Last Word

The Action Meetings Last Word is the same as the First Word except it is now about
the meeting. Each participant now sums up the meeting, how they feel about it, or
whatever they want to say. The idea is to leave the meeting with nothing left to say –
so you can let it go.
This is a powerful technique – it allows each person to express whatever they like but
has on a number of occasions brought out significant or important information or
ideas that, without the Last Word, would have been lost.

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Tip 7: Use a facilitator

Description

Use a facilitator – either from within your group or another group. The facilitator
must be impartial, especially when there are contentious issues on the table.
For the really important, high-value meetings, employ an external, professional
facilitator. The investment will be recouped many, many times over.

Why use?

The facilitator has only one outcome – a successful meeting.


If the facilitator has ‘no axe to grind’ the group will be more open with them and not
suspicious that the meeting is being guided to give a predetermined result.
All participants are able to focus on content as the facilitator runs the meeting
process.

How to use

The facilitator performs the following tasks:


• Maintains focus on the Outcomes
• Keeps things moving
• Establishes when there is an Action Point
• Obtains agreement to move on
• Keeps track of time
• Provides energy
• Creates and maintains a safe environment
• Calls for breaks as required
The facilitator also identifies and checks on the following behaviours from the
participants:
• Shut down
• Aggression
• Side conversations
• Relevance
• Hidden agendas
• The development of factions
• Tired or overloaded

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About Action Meetings Limited

Services
Before we commence any assignment for you, we will listen to you in order to
establish exactly what problem you’re trying to solve. Once you agree, we'll create a
specific solution to ensure that you not only correct the situation but receive value for
your money.

Meeting design

Takes a regular meeting and:


• Re-establishes its purpose with all participants
• Removes all non-essentials
• Removes items better dealt with outside of the meeting
• Introduces an efficient, easily learnt process
The result is a concise, focused meeting that will produce more and finish on time (or
even earlier).

Facilitation

Have all of your team free to participate and focus on the content of your meeting as
our experienced independent facilitator ensures you stay on track and to time.

Post Implementation Reviews

Create a safe, open environment in which the mistakes can be exposed


dispassionately as well as the good practices you want to reinforce. This process
produces a concise report that stands your next project in good stead.

Find out more


You can find out more about Action Meetings at www.actionmeetings.com or check
out our blog at www.nowombats.com.

Contact us
Action Meetings Ltd Phone: +64 4 971-9671
PO Box 48001 Fax: +64 4 971-9672
Silverstream, Email: dave.mcintosh@actionmeetings.com
Upper Hutt 5142
New Zealand

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