Seven Mistakes of Meetings

No one is exactly excited about attending meetings because many persons consider meetings to be a waste of personal and business time. This statement holds true if perhaps the management fails to follow through with the outcomes and decisions of its meetings. Another reason why this negative feeling about meeting may be valid is because the duration of some meetings often last longer than expected.

Nevertheless, meetings are a unique forum for sharing important information/messages about the business or making of decision that would foster the advancement of a group of persons or an organization. The meeting is a group of persons (of key stakeholders) with vested interest on an issue or organization. The purpose of this article, therefore, is to identify some key mistakes that make meetings unproductive or undesirable, with the view to avoid such mistakes and make meetings more productive.

It does not matter if meetings are in an enclosed room or done via electronic platforms from distant places. There are common mistakes that make meeting unappealing and undesirable.

Some of these blunders are itemized below:

 (1) Monopolizing

The leader’s role is to chair and manage the participation at meeting. The term used is; “to preside over the meeting”. In presiding, the leader must engage other members and manage their contribution. The leader must avoid the temptation of making the meeting a monologue: where only the same set of persons contribute their opinions; or a monopoly:  where only the same set or persons control the discussions of the meetings.

(2) Clowning

I have once been guilty of this. The truth is that participants hope to add spice to a boring meeting by trying to be humorous. If taken out of control, the chair would experience a lot of clowning at the meeting. The leader of the meeting should ensure to identify characters who may wish to clown at a meeting and put them in check or give them a task that would make them more serious at the meeting. Note, when there is clowning at a meeting there would be trouble dealing with serious issues. Moreover, clowning at meeting derails the focus and importance of the meeting and further extends the duration of the meeting.

(3) Losing control

It is important to send agendas ahead of meetings. The leader uses the agenda as a means of control. At some meetings, the agenda comes with timeline for each point. Leader should not let participants take the meeting away by going off at tangents. The leader should point defaulting participant to the points on the agenda and the allotted time the group wishes to spend for the meeting.

(4) Scolding

Everyone loves a considerate an understanding person. Ironically, no one loves a leader who show too much consideration. S/He is termed as a weak leader. The leader at the meeting is responsible for the outcome of the meeting – good or bad. The leader uses wisdom and discipline to guide and control the group. It may be necessary to reprimand an erring participant who goes against the norms or guideline of the meeting. This immediately bring the other participants to order. Note that reprimanding does not mean insult or disrespect; it is diplomatically calling another person to order in the limits of the person’s rights or in accordance with the available regulations.

(5) Allowing Interruptions

All forms of interruptions in a meeting must be put into check. Both internal and external interruptions cause distraction to the flow of the meeting. A must in every formal meeting is to set up ground rules. The rules ensure that every participant is aware of the DOS and DON’TS of the meeting. The leader is not expected to allow outside interruptions. Alert your staff to prevent telephone messages and other forms of interruptions. While simple interruptions like chorus talk or asking of question are control by the show of hand or through the ground rules.

(6) Resenting questions

Leaders spend a lot of time preparing for a meeting. They may spend some time talking, only for one the participants to ask seemingly stupid questions of what might have be previously treated. Leaders must acknowledge all questions and learn to answer with tact. It may be a technique to redirect a seemingly stupid question to another member of the group to see who else is not following. The leader should also avoid polar answers like “Yes” or “No”. They are often misinterpreted as unwillingness to respond or through more light. And if the meeting is pressed for time, the leader can assure the participant that he would receive a reply after the meeting to avoid waste of time; or the participant should send the question via a personal message. Never make any of the participants feel resented, this feeling is contagious.

 (7) Coming unprepared

I decided to leave the best for last. Nothing beats amply preparing for a meeting. We earlier mention the need to send out agendas perhaps, a week before the meeting. This would allow for preparations and better composure at meeting. Whether it is the Leader or the participants that come unprepared for a meeting, it always shows in the quality of discussion and solutions proffered. When participants have taken time to prepare for a meeting and their points are been considered or deliberated upon, they tend to lose sense of time. They become unaware of the long hours they may spend during the meeting. I know a leader who tactically gives participants tasks to present during a meeting to ensure that they take time out to prepare for the meeting. Coming unprepared make meetings boring and undesirable.

We should also note that there may be course for emergency meetings, and the participants may not have time to get an agenda or prepare adequately for the meeting. What may come to play is that the convener of the meeting may identify the main point of the meeting in the message sent out to participants. Furthermore, the Chair of the meeting is expected to give the participants a few minutes to digest the impromptu agenda set out for the said meeting. This would help them gather their thoughts and contribute better at the meeting.

Another important point to note in the preparation of meeting is to ensure the location for the meeting is conducive and free from all forms of barriers and noise. Always ensure that meeting is held in an environment that would encourage full concentration and participation. This would help achieve a successful meeting.

In summary, meetings are the information gathering, information sharing and decision making forum of an organization. It requires the coming together and the active participation of key stakeholders.  If we call participants stakeholders, then we should seriously consider the contributions of each participant. We should also ensure that each participant is prepared for each meeting. In doing this, we begin to avoid the mistakes that make meetings undesirable and unsuccessful.

Speechless was here!