Over the past few weeks, we’ve been discussing some ways to support you in creating efficient, engaging, and empowering meetings by:
Today, we’d like to recommend crafting some foundational rules for your meetings. This is another great way to create efficient meetings, by engaging and empowering others.
As always, it’s important to not only share your thoughts with the team, but to encourage their ideas as well. People are much more apt to get behind something that they’ve had a hand in creating.
Here are some suggestions to get you started:
Everyone is fully present.
Put away distractions unless there is an emergency with an exception for the person taking notes. Due to virtual and hybrid meetings these days, this particular rule can take on many variations—depending on the company and the attendees.
Everyone agrees to stay on topic.
If anyone starts to go down a rabbit hole, or off on an elaborate tangent, everyone agrees to refocus on the topic at hand and to add the new topic to the next agenda or to meet about it offline. Remember, this is where the Herder Role comes in handy!
Everyone honors the assigned roles.
Having roles is useless unless people are willing to abide by the authority given to each one of them.
Everyone and every idea is treated with curiosity and respect.
Each attendee agrees to listen fully to other people’s ideas and to engage in disagreements in a professional manner and with an open mind.
These are some of the rules that we’ve seen most successful in organizations, but that doesn’t mean you won’t have rules that fit your particular needs or attendees’ needs.
Consider starting with one or more of the above suggestions, give your team 5-10 minutes to make some notes about rules they’d like to have, and collaborate on your final list.
When you can work together on some foundational meeting rules that work for the team, you’re demonstrating that you’re able to be influenced by others.
Creating shared rules together can support you and the team
to have efficient and successful meetings.
People will feel more engaged and empowered
to take the necessary steps to move the company forward
toward success.
Spend some time this week discussing shared rules that can support the success of your meetings.
Let us know what you come up with!
If you’d like support
with meeting makeovers,
contact us today.