Effective Meetings
Why Meet At All
If meetings are bemoaned by so many, it would be natural to wonder why we should have them at all. There are 3 key reasons why meetings should be used, and understanding these reasons is essential to crafting an agenda that is worthy of other people’s time.
|
Avoid Miscommunication |
When passing on non-routine information there is a high-risk of misunderstanding. Using a meeting to share such information greatly reduces this risk, because it allows for queries to be addressed immediately. Further, face-to-face communication allows you to send clearer messages by reinforcing what you say with appropriate expression and body language.
|
|
Increase Commitment |
When you need commitment rather than compliance from staff, it is important that they be given some say. You can do this by soliciting staff opinions before making a decision yourself, or by having staff make a decision as group. Meetings can be productively used for either of these commitment building strategies.
|
|
Make Better Decisions |
Research shows that small groups of people, when working well, make better decisions than any individual can on their own. However, making decisions collectively takes considerable time and there will be many times where the importance of the decision does not warrant taking up people’s time, even if a small group may come up with slightly better solution.
|