Tapping Meeting Potential

A central tenet of sociology is that "the whole is more than the sum of its parts." When a group of people meet, something far greater is possible than simply summarizing the ideas and opinions around the table. Yet, creating a meeting that leverages individual skills and knowledge can be sufficiently challenging that we often do not strive for an even greater potential. Group potential resides in the cumulative interactions between participants that create surprising value and impact. You are tapping into this potential when you see innovative approaches to long-standing problems spring from the discussion or when breakthrough ideas hatch as a result of the conversation. When a meeting is called, we rarely consider such possibilities. We are usually pondering the content or issues, the politics involved in convincing others to our point of view, or perhaps, how much we don't like meetings. Changing our focus as we plan for the meeting can help us tap into the true value of getting people together to share ideas and discuss issues. Following are five suggestions for moving your meetings closer to their potential.

1. Get the Name Right. Surprisingly, most meetings are mis-named. What's in a name, you say? A lot. A name holds in it the seeds of the meeting's purpose. "Staff Meeting" usually becomes just that, a round robin of disconnected information updates. Occasionally there is a connection made between departments. For five minutes, a bit of synergistic problem solving occurs, which validates the other barely tolerable 55 minutes. What is the true purpose of your meeting? Create a name that reflects its purpose - one that includes everyone you have invited. Identify a purpose that provides focus for the conversation, is relevant and interesting. What's the name of a meeting you and your peers would be excited to attend?

2. Preparation. It is accepted in most organizational cultures that a meeting means we show up with a notepad and pen ready for the action. No wonder meetings are dismal! So few people are prepared. Thoughtful responses require thinking time. Individual thinking time needs to happen before people enter the room, which prepares us for group collaboration. Background materials containing factual information, suggested individual consideration questions and group discussion questions can all be provided in advance of the meeting so that the individuals are actually ready to have a deeper, more fruitful discussion.

3. Using Process. Recently when facilitating at a Board meeting I asked, "How do you make decisions?" The Board looked around at each other and finally concluded, "We just talk it through until we have a decision." It's no wonder new Board members had a hard time figuring out how and when to participate effectively. There was no explicit process. Introduce a process for your meetings - one that is customized for your culture and your business. Although not everyone wants Robert's Rules of Order, authentic and appropriate participation from attendees is easier to achieve when the process for discussions and decisions is clear and consistent.

4. Actually Listen. It's been a long time since most of us have listened with undivided attention. When was the last time someone listened to you totally and completely, without waiting for you to be quiet so they could say something? I bet it has been too long. We are hungry to be listened to and really heard. You can begin a reinforcing cycle of real listening. The next time someone is speaking in your group, listen not only to the content, but also the intention, the underlying purpose of the communication. Respond at that level and watch the meeting be transformed. Eliminate "But," "However" and "No" as a way of introducing your response. That's not listening, that's arguing.

 5. Create Connection. The purpose of most meetings is to create some kind of connection. Connection between departments, between staff members, connections to strategic decisions, or even just connections between the ideas in the room. Yet, little of our time in meetings is actually spent identifying and leveraging connections. If all you do as a meeting leader is to notice where one person's point of view intersects with another's, or identify the overlap between the concerns and objectives of different members of the group, this alone adds tremendous value and will allow the group's potential to shine though.

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