Guest Author

Barney Austen

A meeting that is not constructively planned, lacks a purpose, is not properly conducted and ends with no action points is exactly that. Yet, in business, a substantial amount of our time is spent in meetings that seem to be constructed from the off-set to fail.

The responsibility for a meetings success is largely down to the organiser, but the preparedness of the attendees can also ensure it achieves is aims.

So how do you make sure a meeting is successful?

Well, what is the purpose of a meeting? Simply put, from a business context, it is designed to achieve a decision(s) on an action or actions that will affect your business/project in some shape or form. If it is not going to do this, why are you holding the meeting?

Understand what you want addressed in the meeting and ensure that this is clearly understood from the agenda.

The Agenda!

You must have one otherwise your meeting will simply not be effective and get hijacked by some pirate who wants to use it for airing concerns on another issue. Strong words perhaps, but we have all experienced this at some time or another.

The agenda should state…

• Time, place, duration, attendees and meeting purpose.
• List of agenda items to be covered off

1. Urgent issues towards the top!
2. Quick items should be placed first so they can get covered off otherwise you may not get to them.
3. Avoid putting controversial topics together if possible i.e. vary the pitch and content of the meeting flow.
4. Pop in some breaks if it’s a lengthy session.
5. Time each section (if possible!).
6. Limit the scope for any other business (AOB) by having the agenda fixed with no mention of AOB.

Then send the agenda out in advance.

Remember, if you have a meeting after lunch, most participants will be feeling the effects. Don’t put a heavy duty item first if this is the case. You want participation and interest so start with a topic that will allow this to occur.

The Attendees!

Attendees should be invited based on the contribution they can make. If a person is not a decision maker or is not an expert required to explain a situation, then why are they coming? If an invitee is going to send a representative because they cannot attend, that representative must be able to commit to a decision on behalf of the original invitee – otherwise ask for someone else of defer the meeting until the main invitee can attend. Why? Because if you need that invitee to make a call, you will end up having another meeting anyway!

Attendees should be aware of their responsibilities in terms of preparation i.e. if they have to bring something to the meeting then they need to have this with them and be comfortable presenting it.

Other Things!

The above are the biggies, but don’t forget;

• Meeting venue – is the room suitable? Big enough? Too hot? Too cold?
• Are you going to supply refreshments?
• Do you need a whiteboard? Projector? Screen? Writing materials?
• Organise roles – chair (usually organiser), minute taker, time manager(if appropriate).

It’s really all about preparation – if you have it right, your meeting will work. If you don’t, expect to be back same time, same place discussing the same thing which is a waste of time, effort and cash!

I hope this was helpful! Any additions anyone?

Photo with thanks to:

Barney Austen is a budding entrepreneur working on software product solutions for business. His background is mainly operational and senior management roles in mobile telecoms and software houses. Areas of expertise include professional services, out-sourcing, team management and general operations management.

Btb Guest Author

Anthea Newburn

With lives as busy as they are and the current uncertainty placing a lot more pressure on our working time it would be great to gain some extra time in the day.

You may think this is overly ambitious but with a few simple changes to your day you can gain a few minutes here and there. Once you start to look at small things you do you will start to see bigger wins.

• Every week check your diary for the following week – what do you still need to attend, who do you need to meet? Is there anything you don’t need to attend? Could you tag two meetings on the same side of the city to minimise travel time? Can you move any meetings to make your day more efficient?
• Have a priority list not a ‘to do’ list. Each Friday afternoon decide what your priorities will be for the following week & what actions need to be taken to get you there. Slot your priorities into your diary.
• Confirm meetings by text or email at least 24 hours before (you can set this up on web text easily). This avoids wasted time preparing for and travelling to cancelled meetings.
• Curb those at the desk chats – you know when Johnny comes over to tell you about his latest achievement or moan about the football last night. Learn to anticipate these & stop it with a polite but firm ‘I really need to focus on this for a deadline, I’ll catch up with you later’. Instead plan to ‘have coffee’ with key people you want to speak with. This can be one-to-one time with a direct report, a stakeholder in a project you’re taking on, a mentor in the industry or someone who has a different perspective.
• Learn to say no to tasks you can’t take on as you are overloaded, focusing on your priorities or if you are not the right person for the job. Over the years, by saying yes to everything, we train those around us to expect us to say yes. Start by saying ‘Can I check my diary and come back to you?’ The key is to get back quickly – be honest saying that you won’t be able to complete that this week and don’t want to let them down.
• Check if there are tasks others can help you with. What can you delegate? Don’t try to do everything yourself, if someone else has the time, resources or expertise then ask yourself why you are doing the task. Put a value on your time & the other things you could achieve given the time.
• Take a lunch break – ok, skipping lunch this may seem an easy way to gain time in your day but its not. Not taking a break (mentally & physically) will leave you less efficient. Look at your lunch – is there an adequate balance of carbohydrate & protein to get you through the afternoon slump? Take the chance to get out for a walk, even if its only around the block.
• Interesting articles and trade magazines can be kept with your notepad. Catch up on reading when you are waiting to meet with someone or travelling.
• Set up rss feeds for your favourite blogs so that you can scan the feed for anything interesting without taking the time to visit each site.
• Start the day with an energizing herbal tea (or if you must get your favourite caffeine kick)! Choose something with mint, hibiscus and blackberry.
• Check emails at set times in the day rather than watching for ‘You have a new message’ flags. If you are out of the office put a message on your email stating when you will be checking your email & when you are likely to respond.
• Put voicemail on your phone saying that you will respond within 24 hours. If you are focused on a task ignore the phone & let it go to voicemail.
• Get a water bottle and fill it in the morning and after lunch – this ensures you stay hydrated, focused and don’t have to keep walking to the water cooler to top up.

Anthea Newburn is a qualified life coach who is passionate about stress management and emotional intelligence. She works with individuals and groups to enhance their personal and work lives with a holistic view of where they are now & where they want to be. Having experienced a busy corporate career herself she can empathize with her clients. Her background is in hospitality and human resources. Click here to visit Anthea’s website.

Published by Niall Devitt, Btb Business Training

I got talking to a senior salesperson recently, and was literally gob smacked when he told me about the amount of admin work that he is expected to produce on top of his sales target. He was having to spend roughly half his working week doing paperwork.

It got me to thinking that when you consider other unavoidable tasks such as travelling to and from sales meetings , the amount of time that he could possibly be spending in front of prospective clients actually selling must be tiny.

Wanting to see if there was any available information on the web, I came across an international productivity study from Proudfoot Consulting, which made for quite astonishing reading.

This 2002 study revealed that sales people on average spend just seven percent of their time actively selling.

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