The Surprising Science of Meetings
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7. Attendees were not open to new ideas or thinking.
Total, combined percentages of these seven items %
Average percentage of these seven items (divide total by seven) %
THE MEETING ITSELF: DISCUSSION DYNAMICS % of Time This Occurred
1. Attendees seemed to hold back their candid thoughts.
2. Attendees were not encouraged to participate.
3. Attendees rambled on and thus did not move the discussion forward.
4. Discussion strayed into irrelevant topics.
5. Distracting side conversations occurred among small groups of attendees.
6. Attendees multitasked during the meeting (e.g., were on their phones).
7. Meeting attendees were not engaged in the meeting.
8. Critical and thoughtful decision-making did not occur.
Total, combined percentages of these eight items %
Average percentage of these eight items (divide total by eight) %
Section 3: The following concerns activities at the end of the meeting or in response to the meeting. Indicate the percentage of time it was true for the meetings you had over the last month.
POST-MEETING % of Time This Occurred
1. When the meeting ended, it was not clear what the action items were and who was responsible.
2. When the meeting ended, there was no effort to summarize what was resolved and decided on.
3. The leader did not follow up on what all were supposed to do.
4. Attendees did not follow up on what they were supposed to do.
5. No effort was made to evaluate the quality of the meeting.
Total, combined percentages of these five items %
Average percentage of these five items (divide total by five) %
Now let’s calculate a grand average percent by plugging in the average percentages above.
MEETING DESIGN %
THE MEETING ITSELF: TIME DYNAMICS %
THE MEETING ITSELF: INTERPERSONAL DYNAMICS %
THE MEETING ITSELF: DISCUSSION DYNAMICS %
POST-MEETING %
Total, combined percentages of the five categories %
Grand average percentage of the five categories (divide total by five) %
The grand average percent that is calculated represents wasted meeting investment—a wasted-time index. Here is a guide to interpret your grand scores based on my work with organizations:
• If your scores are between 0 and 20 percent wasted meeting investment, your meetings are really quite productive. While there is room for improvement, your scores are above what is typical.
• If your scores are between 21 and 40 percent wasted meeting investment, your meetings are generally hit or miss. Plenty of time is being wasted. Improvements need to be made, but your scores are (sadly) typical of what we find in organizations.
• If your scores are above 41 percent wasted meeting investment, your meetings need substantial improvement. Your scores are considerably below average.
Tool
Sample Engagement Survey and 360-Degree Feedback Questions on Meetings
Engagement Survey Sample Questions
Questions can focus on the quantity and quality of meetings within a team, a department, an enterprise, or all of these. Or, questions can focus on meeting effectiveness skills and behaviors for various leaders (and even peers). Some examples of survey items, which are answered using a response scale of “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree,” are as follows:
• My supervisor runs meetings effectively.
• My peers run meetings effectively.
• In reflecting on the meetings in my department, I would generally describe them as being engaging.
• In reflecting on the meetings in my department, I would generally describe them as being well run.
• In reflecting on the meetings in my department, I would generally describe them as being necessary and needed.
• Our meetings contain only those individuals who truly need to be there.
360-Degree Feedback Sample Questions
Questions can focus on how the focal person is doing overall in leadership of meetings or can focus on particular meeting behaviors. Again, these can be answered on a response scale of “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.” Some examples:
Colleague X
• Runs meetings effectively.
• Provides an agenda in advance of the meeting.
• Asks for input on the agenda prior to the meeting.
• Documents action items and follows through on these commitments.
• Uses meeting time to address critical issues.
• Keeps discussion flowing.
• Covers relevant issues at meetings.
• Encourages attendee participation at meetings.
• Maintains an environment in which people are comfortable disagreeing.
• Listens carefully during meetings.
• Does not allow any one individual to dominate the meeting.
• Plans the meeting carefully.
Tool
Good Meeting Facilitation Checklist
Time Management
• Keep track of time and pace the meeting effectively given the big picture of the agenda. Be willing to call a break, if needed, to regroup or if energy is waning.
• Do not rush through an emergent issue that truly needs to be discussed. Be able to recognize if an issue raised is best addressed at a subsequent meeting.
• Keep conversation flowing (e.g., recognize a tangent and pull it back into what needs to be discussed).
Active Listening
• Model active listening as others speak (e.g., really understand what others are saying). Ask excellent questions so that ideas are truly understood.
• Keep clarifying and summarizing where things are and people’s input so that everyone understands the process and the discussion at hand.
• Listen carefully for underlying concerns and help bring them out so that they can be dealt with constructively.
• Keep engaged with the note-taker so that issues, actions, and takeaways are recorded and not lost. Confirm with the attendees that all is correct.
Conflict Management
• Encourage conflict around ideas (e.g., any concerns with this idea), and then actively embrace and manage the conflict so that benefits for performance and decision-making ensue (e.g., here is where folks are aligned, here is an issue that we should speak more about). Immediately stomp out negative personal attacks and bring the group back to the need for constructive discussion of ideas.
• Maintain an environment where people are comfortable disagreeing (e.g., thank people for sharing divergent points of view). Invite debate.
• Deal with disrespectful behavior quickly through redirection, comments about staying constructive, and reminding attendees of the meeting ground rules.
Ensuring Active Participation
• Actively draw out input from others (e.g., asking those who have not yet contributed to share their thoughts). Keep mental track of who wants to speak and come back to them.
• To keep an attendee from dominating the conversation, use body language (e.g., a subtle and small hand movement to indicate the need to stop speaking) and transition statements (e.g., “thank you for that”).
• Keep side conversations at bay by reigning folks’ comments in.
Pushing for Consensus
• Test for agreement and consensus to get a sense of where attendees are at, but do not unduly and unnecessarily pressure others to reach a conclusion when not ready (unless there is a time urgency).
• Be willing to take the pulse of the attendees to be sure the process is working and leading to excellent decision-making.
• Know when to intervene assertively in the meeting process and provide direction (e.g., the group lacks focus and is talking over one another) and when to let the process run as it is.
• Be an honest
broker of the conversation at hand, not privileging your viewpoint or ideas in the discussion. Work to remain impartial. Make it clear that your opinion is just one opinion to be discussed.
Tool
Huddle Implementation Checklist
Common Huddle Topics (Pick One to Three)
What Has Happened and Wins
• What did you accomplish since yesterday?
• What did you finish since yesterday?
• Any key wins for you or for the team that you can share?
• Any key client updates?
What Will Happen
• What are you working on today?
• What is your top priority for the day?
• What is the most important thing you will get done today?
• What are your top three priorities for the day or the week?
Key Metrics
• How are we doing on our company’s top three metrics?
• How are we doing on your team’s top three metrics?
Obstacles
• What obstacles are impeding your progress?
• Any “stuck points” you are facing?
• Any roadblocks the team can help with?
• Anything slowing down your progress?
Huddle Implementation
When, Where, and How?
____Is ten or fifteen minutes in length
____Occurs at the same time each day (or every other day)
____Is best done in the morning
____Occurs in the same place, typically
____Often occurs standing up, if possible
Keeping Things in Line
____Start and end on time
____Remind everyone about the goals of the huddle and why they are being done
____Create huddle rules (e.g., succinct communication)
____Remind people of huddle rules
____Create “magic time” when rollover discussion occurs
____Evaluate periodically
Involvement
____Invite others to provide input into the huddle design
____Usually involves the same people
____Attendance is generally mandatory
____If folks can’t attend in person, they attend remotely
____Be sure all attendees are talking to each other, not just the leader
____Rotate leadership occasionally
The Last Ingredient
____Try to have fun with huddles
Tool
Agenda Template
AGENDA
MEETING DATE:
MEETING TIME:
LOCATION:
Major goals for the meeting (or key decisions that must be made)
1.
2.
3.
Item 1:
Description
Process note:
Preparation:
Time (if applicable):
Item 2:
Description
Process note:
Preparation:
Time (if applicable):
Item 3:
Description
Process note:
Preparation:
Time (if applicable):
Item 4:
Description
Process note:
Preparation:
Time (if applicable):
Wrap-up:
• Key takeaways from meeting
• Actions and responsible individuals
• Notes about next meeting (perhaps topics to cover)
Tool
Guide to Taking Good Meeting Minutes and Notes
◻ Write down important facts and takeaways, including who, what, when, and where.
◻ Record key decisions or action plans made in the meeting.
◻ Record any questions raised and their answers, as well as ideas provided by the team.
◻ Develop a shorthand for taking notes quickly. Consider using a note-taking software (e.g., Google Docs) that multiple attendees can contribute to at once. This keeps participants engaged.
◻ Focus on important points. Don’t record small talk or info that doesn’t benefit anyone.
◻ Agree on who will take notes. Consider rotating this responsibility or assigning multiple note-takers.
◻ The note-taker shouldn’t be someone who runs the meeting.
◻ Include the date, a list of attendees, and the main goal(s) of the meeting in the notes.
◻ Assign tasks to meeting’s members and write their names down next to the tasks; remember to announce tasks aloud to hold members accountable.
◻ After the meeting, immediately review the notes and update them for clarity, errors, and anything that was left out.
◻ Distribute notes promptly after the meeting, while the meeting is still fresh. This reminds people of their follow-up tasks.
◻ Have an agreed-upon place where meeting notes are stored (e.g., Dropbox, Slack).
Tool
Meeting Expectations Quick Survey
I want our meetings to be an excellent use of your time. To that end, I have put together this one-minute survey. My hope is that spending one minute now will save us all lots of time later on. After I receive all the responses, I will look for underlying themes and share what I have learned with all of you.
1. As the facilitator of our meetings, what are key things you are looking for from me? What are your expectations?
2. What are the key things you are looking for from other attendees? What expectations do you have of others in our meetings?
3. Is there any other advice or are there key issues you want to convey, to help us have the best possible meetings we can?
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am filled with gratitude to have so many wonderful people in my life supporting me and my work. Although my name is on the cover of the book, this was definitely not a solitary effort. First, I want to thank my agent, Jill Marsal, of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency, for her advocacy, professionalism, and tutelage. Next, I want to thank Abby Gross, Senior Editor at Oxford, for never wavering in her strong support of the book’s concept and for her terrific responsiveness, very keen insights, and kindness every step of the way. Abby definitively made this book better! I am so fortunate to have had terrific doctoral students as partners from day one. Thank you to Miles Moffit and Claire Abberger for your sharp eye and strong input. I want to give a heartfelt special thanks to Lea Williams and Kelcie Grenier. I love it when I can learn from my students—your feedback, editing, and comments from the first page to last page elevated this entire effort. I also want to thank one of my mentors, Dr. John Kello, for not only reviewing sections of the book, but also being a model scientist-practitioner whose wisdom shaped many of my thoughts. Big thanks go to my life partner, Sandy Rogelberg, for supporting this entire effort from day one and for providing instrumental guidance throughout as she read the chapters and shared critical comments that greatly improved the content on these pages. I would be remiss if I did not thank my wonderful parents for just about everything, and for sharing their meeting war stories with me as I worked to prepare this book. And, thank you Sasha and Gordon for putting up with all of our family meetings. I love you both so much.
REFERENCES
Chapter 1
Caruth, R. L., & Caruth, G. D. (2012). Three prongs to manage meetings. Industrial Management, 12–15. Retrieved from https://www.questia.com/magazine/1P3-2849387751/three-prongs-to-manage-meetings
Doyle, M., & Straus, D. (1976). How to make meetings work. New York: Jove Books.
Executive Time Use Project. (2018). Retrieved from http://sticerd.lse.ac.uk/ExecutiveTimeUse/
Infocom. (n.d.). Meetings in America: A study of trends, costs, and attitudes toward business travel and teleconferencing, and their impact on productivity. Retrieved from https://e-meetings.verizonbusiness.com/global/en/meetingsinamerica/uswhitepaper.php
Keith, E. (2015, December 4). 55 million: A fresh look at the number, effectiveness, and cost of meetings in
the U.S. [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://blog.lucidmeetings.com/blog/fresh-look-number-effectiveness-cost-meetings-in-us
Malouff, J. M., Calic, C., McGrory, C. M., Murrell, R. L., & Schutte, N. S. (2012). Evidence for a needs-based model of organizational-meeting leadership. Current Psychology, 31(1), 35–48.
Microsoft. (2005, March 15). Survey finds workers average only three productive days per week. Retrieved from https://news.microsoft.com/2005/03/15/survey-finds-workers-average-only-three-productive-days-per-week/#sm.000006b85d5gudfpus7ro3hcg3jiy
Perlow, L. A., Hadley, C. N., & Eun, E. (2017). Stop the meeting madness. Harvard Business Review, 95(4), 62–69.
Rogelberg, S. G., Shanock, L. R., & Scott, C. W. (2012). Wasted time and money in meetings: Increasing return on investment. Small Group Research, 43(2), 236–45. doi:10.1177/1046496411429170
Romano, N. C., & Nunamaker, J. F. (2001, January). Meeting analysis: Findings from research and practice. In System Sciences, 2001. Proceedings of the 34th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, Maui, Hawaii. doi:10.1109/HICSS.2001.
Chapter 2
Allen, J. A., & Rogelberg, S. G. (2013). Manager-led group meetings: A context for promoting employee engagement. Group & Organization Management, 38(5), 543–569.