Tip of the Month
Meetings
How is a meeting like an airplane? They both need to be carefully designed to get you where you want to go.
The purpose of a most meetings is to move a group of people from one place to another in a safe and preferably enjoyable fashion without losing anyone along the way. However, certain critical elements need to be in place before take off to ensure a successful trip and a safe landing. Sitting in a poorly designed and/or poorly facilitated meeting is like sitting in a rickety airplane with an unclear destination - Both are very frustrating and a big waste of time.
Would you board a plane under the following conditions?
- The destination is described as “somewhere in the general vicinity of Boston.”
- The passengers are not sure why they are on this plane.
- The aircraft does not have effective radar for direction finding.
- The aircraft does not have mechanisms for dealing with unexpected turbulence.
- The flight crew members are not clear about their respective roles and responsibilities.
- There may not be enough fuel to land the plane.
If you’re not sure you would get on a plane under these conditions, good! You may also want to create a higher standard for the meetings you call and/or participate it. For more on this topic see, Designing and Facilitating Effective Meetings.