Meeting Navigation

How to Plan Engaging and Productive Meetings
Sharon Swing 

This article provided by the Engstrom Institute

Afriend once said to me, "Traveling is just one humiliation after another." You probably have a traveling horror story coming to mind right now and most likely it includes delays, detours, circling, ending up at a different destination than what was intended, and not having control over your circumstances.

But most of us spend more time being humiliated in boring and unproductive meetings. A few more stories probably come to mind on that topic, as well. Have you ever been in a meeting where it felt as though you were circling, without hope of landing where you intended?

Lack of execution and follow-up after a meeting is like arriving at a grand destination and staying on the plane for the duration of the vacation, only to return to where you started. Sometimes we take a seat and settle in for a nap, knowing we'll have no input on where we'll end up.

If you participate in meetings that resemble any of these remarks, read on. If you are a manager or leader, or help to plan and facilitate meetings, you can make your meetings more productive and more interesting. Along the way, meetings might produce better ideas and more enthusiasm for action and accountability.

Common problems plague most meetings. Mainly, the group lacks a shared understanding of the starting point, the destination, or how to arrive there. Without a map, the members of the group are going to have differing opinions of the best or shortest route. Every meeting has a purpose, agenda items (the what), and a process for each agenda item (the how). The greater the disagreement or lack of clarity about these points, the more exasperating the meeting will be.

The reluctance to spend the needed time to plan a great meeting, or the lack of knowledge of how to do so, are primary causes for unproductive outcomes and frustrated participants. If you can't articulate a purpose, please don't have a meeting!

Are We There Yet?

As a first step, let people know when they'll be done and tell the group what needs to be accomplished. Complete this sentence: "By the end of this meeting, we will …" Completing this sentence will clearly articulate the meeting purpose. Consider where you are now and where you need to arrive at the end of the meeting. Shorter meetings with a few meaty outcomes are better than long meetings with many unclear deliverables.

What's Your Starting Point?

If a friend were to call you and ask for directions, what's the first question you'd ask? How about, "Where are you now?"

Many meetings get off to a bad start because we assume the group is all up-to-date, remembering where the last conversation left off. When we start, we may be too far ahead, or even behind, where the conversation left off last time the group met. Some people are left out because of lack of context or current information, and some are bored by too much review.

To avoid this, determine the best way to assure all participants are together at the starting point

of the conversation. A brief overview goes a long way, and don't forget to consider emotional starting places. Participants' emotions may vary from enthused to resistant, scared, skeptical, willing, or neutral. Think about what might put the group in the most productive frame of mind, planning an agenda item with that purpose in mind.

Every agenda can start with corporate or silent prayer, statement of purpose, review of the larger context for the meeting, and if there is any question, telling people why they were invited to participate and what their roles are during or after the meeting. Ask God to guide you in planning your agenda. He promises to give wisdom to those who ask for it (1 James 1:5).

What's Your Route?

Like a navigation system in a car, your agenda states the best route for you to take to your destination. If people know and agree to the route before you start, it's more likely they'll allow you to lead them that way. Many meetings are painful because each person may have a different topic on the agenda that's his or her responsibility or passion—and they each came with something to say that can't seem to wait.

I once attended a meeting with numerous government and community service groups to decide if they would collectively host a festival in their town. No one was facilitating the meeting, and there was no agenda. The conversation went 'circular' for two hours, and many of us felt frustrated and increasingly disinterested in the topic.

As an invited guest, I remained silent until someone asked what I thought. I simply said that it seems each group needs to state under what conditions they'd participate in the festival, then decide what kind of festival it might be, the location, dates, responsibilities, etc. Once the agenda was set, we finished up in about 20 minutes, with all parties in agreement on a concept, assignments for the appropriate next steps, and with the future meeting's agenda, time, and place set.

The lack of an agenda and a facilitator almost killed a great community event before it ever got started. The trust and cooperation that was built among those groups still benefit the community many years later.

Once you have the meeting's agenda posted on flip charts for all to see, if the conversation veers off track, the meeting facilitator can gently ask that a topic be held until later on the agenda. Moving on to the next item with a clear transition helps keep the group focused, following the conversation. It keeps people engaged when they know progress is being made.

Be flexible in changing the agenda when the subject is complex and the ordering of topics requires some amount of random thinking.

Choose Modes of Transportation

Some destinations are best reached by a combination of planes, trains, automobiles, or on foot. In the same way, consider what process will produce the best results for each item on your agenda. The person facilitating the meeting should not only write out the purpose and the agenda, but the best process for each agenda item. Sometimes a presentation does the job, but other times structured brainstorming or open discussion may be most appropriate. The facilitator can more easily set expectations and aid the productive flow of the meeting when it's clear to the participants how they can best contribute. Varied means of moving the meeting toward its conclusion help keep interest, involvement, and creativity at its peak.

At times it helps to present a question and give people individual time to write out, on sticky notes, a few options that come to mind. When it comes time to share, people can do so concisely. Similar ideas can be gathered and posted near one another on the wall to show similarities and differences of ideas. This also gives everyone an opportunity to air their ideas. Even more quiet participants can get their ideas out with this method.

Another option is the use of graphic recording. This tool documents the proceedings of meetings in words and pictures as the meeting progresses. With graphic recording, facilitators can use mental models in graphic formats to ask the right questions, provide new perspective, focus conversation, and provide a more engaging experience. Paper (around 8' x 4') is rolled out on the walls as a graphic recorder sketches a model, and then fills it in with the group's information. This kind of process keeps the group focused, productive, and moving toward the goal.

Are the Right People on the Bus?

After the meeting's purpose and agenda have been decided, the next concern is who needs to be present at the meeting. Much of this depends on your meeting's purpose. Is it to inform, to discuss varied perspectives, to create options, or to make decisions or recommendations? Be clear about what the group's role is.

If participants are to recommend a solution to another person or group that will make the decision, be clear about that to avoid undue confusion and disappointment. A meeting is a teambuilding opportunity. Consider what your team needs and who needs to consider themselves as part of the team to accomplish the task. Who will inform those not present of the meeting's conversation and outcome?

When You Arrive …

Meetings seldom stand alone, but are usually a part of a larger project or process. Here are five items that can conclude your agenda and connect your meeting to the bigger picture.

• Ask the question: "Did we accomplish what we set out to do in our meeting's purpose statement?" If not, why not? What needs to be done to complete the task?
• Record any decisions, progress, or changes that are expected as a result of the meeting.
• Clearly document assignments for what will happen between meetings: who does what, for whom, by when, and specific deliverables. (Go to www.illumaxpartners.com for a free worksheet.)
• Set a date, time, and agenda for your next meeting.
• Ask God for continued guidance, wisdom, and teamwork to accomplish what has been decided.

Values to Help Navigate Meetings

As Christians, is there a way to honor God and our people in how we run our meetings? Absolutely! Respect, stewardship, wisdom, and community are ideals that influence what we do and how we do it in meetings.

• Respect. We are to be kind, gentle and respectful toward others. Each person in your meeting matters to God. They may not have the same authority or status in the organization, but they all matter deeply and equally to God. Making it clear to participants why they're there and how they're to interact shows respect for their ideas, position, and time. Also, to listen is to show great respect, so treat each participant as an invited guest.
  
  
• Stewardship. We are to make good, productive use of time, talents, and resources. Well-run meetings steward people's time and can avoid wasting of talents, resources, and implementation time.
  
  
• Wisdom. In the abundance of counselors there is wisdom (Proverbs 15:22). God made people with amazing, creative differences, gifts, and perspectives; working well within community produces wise choices and builds unity.
  Would you consider leaving an empty chair that symbolizes God's presence with you in the room? Imagine Jesus sitting in the chair politely waiting to be asked his opinion. Christians in the room can be reminded to listen with their spirit for God's perspective. In fact, a facilitator can call for a few moments of silence when discussion gets tense, confusing, revealing, or there's a sense of divine guidance pending. Opening, closing, or mid-meeting prayer can help people focus on what God wants and their job of seeking his will together.
  
  
• Community. God intends for us to live and work in community because it can bring us joy, but also for the purpose of receiving feedback from one another. We can be self-centered and narrow-minded in our opinions if we don't have people around us who help us see other useful perspectives. View every meeting as a teambuilding opportunity!

Tips for an Effective Meeting

Fortunately, meetings don't have to be events that are dreaded by everyone, to be avoided whenever possible. With proper planning and effective communication, they can be effective and dynamic tools in furthering the ministry to which God has called us. Here are a few tips to summarize the steps to an effective meeting.

1. Have a clear purpose, stating the expected end result.
2. Document the steps leading toward the end result—these are your agenda items.
3. Design a process for each item that's appropriate, varied, practical, and timely.
4. Select a facilitator, recorder, and timekeeper.
5. Allow the senior person in the room to listen and participate, but not facilitate, thus avoiding dual roles that inhibit participation.
6. Post an agenda with estimated durations for each step.
7. Set expectations by letting the group know whether they're decision-makers, giving input to a decision, or being informed of a decision.
8. Allow a silent time for prayer, discernment, and critical thinking.
9. Document the conversation in words and pictures on large paper hung on the walls.
10. Give clear conclusions for each step.
11. Determine who will do what, for whom, by when, and the expected deliverables.
12. Follow up! Do what's agreed upon in the meeting, or earn the skeptics' wrath.
13. Good food never hurts, and often helps meetings succeed.

Sharon Swing is the founder of Swing Consulting and Illumax Partners and previously served as executive vice president for strategic planning and ministry services for the Willow Creek Association. Contact her by visiting www.swingconsulting.com