Effective and Efficient Meetings Chairman

Before the Meeting Define the objective of the meeting Consider, if a meeting is the right way to take care of the matter or if there are other more effective/efficient alternatives Choosing the participants - Choose the people who are entitled to make the decisions and/or people with appropriate expertise - Ensure that the participants have time and motivation to participate - If necessary, inform the participants, what you expect of them - Try to keep the number of participants reasonable Choose appropriate working methods for the meeting - A tightly scheduled, formal meeting is not always the right one Choose the right meeting venue (equipment, peace, location, etc.) Prepare an agenda - Synchronize starting and finishing time with travellers' schedules - Prioritize and schedule each issue - Dont include too many issues in the agenda - Include breaks and slack in the schedule Distribute the agenda in advance, also for information to relevant people Ensure that the participants have prepared for the meeting Ensure that the meeting equipment (projector, conference phone,...) works

Chairman
In the beginning of the meeting (As a rule) dont wait for the latecomers Introduce new people, the objective of the meeting and the roles of the participants Have a scribe selected Remind the participants: "Please close your laptops (except for scribe) and mobile phones." Follow up the action points of previous meeting(s) During the meeting Motivate, give feedback Encourage the participants to express their opinions and suggestions Activate silent participants and hold back the talkative and dominating ones Follow up the time spent versus planned and react on deviations, if needed Ensure that decisions are made, but dont push immature decisions or a decision which all relevant parties are not committed to Ensure that the decisions, the responsible person and the schedule are defined and recorded - Ensure that the person in charge of an action point has the time and motivation to do it Summarize discussion/decisions every now and then Keep the meeting on correct track by saying e.g. - This issue is interesting, but it is beyond the scope of this meeting. Let's fix another meeting for it. - We fell off the track. Lets get back to the real issue. - Well return to this matter at the end of the meeting, if we still have time.
2009 Oy Laatukonsultointi P. Kantelinen Ab V1.2 www.laatuk.com

Chairman
During the meeting (continues ...) If reality calls for it, adjust the agenda and/or the working methods Finish the meeting on time Make a final summary of the conclusions, decisions and the assignments Agree on the time and the subject(s) of the following meeting(s) and define the participants After the meeting Inform everyone concerned of the results of the meeting, if necessary (distributing the minutes is not always sufficient) Ensure that the decisions are carried out

Scribe
During the meeting Ask for and make summaries Interrupt, if you dont have enough time to write down the issues For each decision, record the following - what is done - who will do it - when she/he will do it Ask, if you didnt understand or hear what was said After the meeting Prepare the minutes immediately and distribute them to the participants and also to others for information, if applicable.

Effective and Efficient Meetings

Participants
Before the meeting Ask yourself: "Is it necessary for me to participate? Can I take care of my share in some other way or send a deputy? Is it enough to be present only a part of the time?" Inform the chairman, if you are not able to participate or if you will arrive late Ask for the agenda, if you havent received it in advance Prepare yourself for the meeting Be sure to have the necessary material with you In the beginning of the meeting Arrive in time Turn the mobile phone on silent mode and turn off the portable, unless you really need it to facilitate the meeting During the meeting Listen to the opinions of other people Ask questions and be active but dont dominate Give constructive and positive feedback Do not reject other people's ideas out of hand Keep to the point and help others to stay focused Record immediately your personal action points together with deadline You may leave, when the subjects concerning you have been dealt over

Participants
After the meeting Do your action points as soon as possible Inform the chairman in good time, if you cant do your action points or if you cant do them on time

A group with regular meetings

The first meeting Motivation and backgroud: why does this group meet and why with this composition Introduction of the participants The goal or the vision for the group Definition of working methods Definition of meeting times - Fix the the dates of meetings as far in the future as possible/feasible Definition of roles and responsibilities, at least: - chairman - scribe (the role may be rotating) - deputies The last meeting Evaluation of the results of the group Transfer of the responsibilities and the results Identification of unfinished work and making a plan how to finish it Evaluation of the perfomance of the group and documentation of lessons learned

Everybody
Evaluate the quality of the meeting together at the end of the meeting: Was the aim/goal of the meeting clear? Was the agenda distributed in advance? Was also other material concerning the meeting distributed in advance? Had all participants prepared for the meeting in advance? If not, why? Did the meeting start in time? If not, why? Did the meeting deviate from the agenda? If it did, for what reason and was it appropriate? Did the meeting agree on persons to carry out the decisions and was the schedule for actions agreed upon? Which part of the meeting was not used effectively and why? Was the goal of the meeting achieved? If not, why? What would have made the meeting better and more efficient? Have all the decisions made in previous meeting(s) been carried out?
Oy Laatukonsultointi P. Kantelinen Ab www.laatuk.com

The deadly sin of meetings: The meeting makes decisions that are never carried out. Ensure that the decisions are implemented or don't make decisions that are not implemented!