Running a Meeting: 10 Rookie Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Running a good meeting is really an art. In countless organizations, large and small, 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 a leader, to learn the art of the meeting. Run lousy meetings and you will be judged accordingly. Step up to the meeting leadership role and you have enormous influence and a more productive organization. This article highlights the ten most common mistakes leaders make in meetings – and how to avoid them. Mistake #1: Not Creating an AgendannA 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 hijack the meeting. Impatient participants whisper in side conversations. The meeting ends before decisions are made, or key people have left. It all adds up to low morale and high frustration. Mistake #2: Skipping Advance CommunicationnnProductive meetings start with pre-meeting communication. You may need to ask questions, get feedback or buy-in in advance. Talking with influential people who will attend uncovers identify issues and helps you plan. Several days or even weeks before a meeting, contact stakeholders and influencers to let them know what’s happening. Mistake #3: Not Encouraging ParticipationnnTop leaders place a high value on discussion because it taps the collective knowledge and intellect of employees. Encourage people to raise objections by taking note of who is quiet, and then making it a point to ask their opinion. n nParticipation is essential to harnessing 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 people open-ended questions like: “What’s your reaction…?” or “How could we…?” Mistake #4: Mismanaging TimennA 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 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: Mismanaging ConflictnnWhile 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. Don’t allow the discussion to get personal or issues to go unresolved. It damages the whole organization. To manage negative conflict, identify common goals, build on agreements, avoid placing blame, and communicate respect (zero tolerance for personal attacks). Mistake #6: Not Reaching ConsensusnnYour goal in most meetings is to gather enough information to make a decision on your own, to 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 way that is acceptable to a majority of meeting participants. A leader’s role in consensus is to define the issue, encourage brainstorming, synthesize the conversation and narrow the options. Analyze, evaluate, and summarize what has been said, and call for a decision or make one. Mistake #7: Mismanaging Difficult PeoplennPeople 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, refusing to see others’ views, or failing to recognize the value of compromise. The trick here is direct intervention. Have a one-on-one conversation with the disruptive person, acknowledging a known issue and allowing them to vent or discuss. Point out the behavior you appreciate, and the behavior that does not work. During the meeting, allow them to speak their peace, but manage the time and move on. Enforce time limits. Ask other leaders to do the same. Mistake #8: Tolerating Side MeetingsnnSide 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 or not caring about being rude, or how others see them. Handle disruptive side meetings by gradually escalating your intervention. First, look at the people talking until you catch their eyes. If they don’t get the message, get up and walk over, or call on them. Remind the group of the meeting rules if you have a rule that there is no side talking. If people don’t get the message, pull them aside after the meeting, and make it clear that such behavior cannot help them or the team. nnnMistake #9: Not Motivating EveryonennIn one TV newsroom where I worked, the boss held a meeting first thing every morning, asking each of the reporters and producers crowded into his office 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 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. 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 EffectivelynnLeaders 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 is said between the lines. You must also have a command of language and the ability to clarify concepts so you can sum up the main points of a discussion. In many ways, leading a meeting is like juggling. A good leader keeps the balls in the air, stays focused, provides a steady hand, 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 you to lead. Accept the role, grow with it and soon you’ll have others asking, “How is it you run such a good meeting?”