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Master Your Game
This Issue: Meeting Process Design
Dear Reader,
Summary
After establishing and communicating the agenda to participants
(see previous issues), the second step to conducting an effective meeting is designing the meeting process.*
Designing the process means considering the meeting objectives, the scope of the topic, the
discussion stage for each topic and the available time. Specifically, this article discusses
strategies for managing the group size, thinking activities and discussion time.
Managing the Group Size
Assess the appropriateness of the meeting size. Each topic area for the meeting may need a different
group size according to the nature of the topic and the thinking activity involved.
Consider dividing the main group into sub-groups. Some benefits of sub-groups:
- provides safety for quiet members
- appropriate for discussing sensitive topics
- members could choose the topic area of interest to them.
If you have a large group and several topics, use sub-
groups to discuss each topic then have each group
make a presentation to the larger group when it
reconvenes.
Designing Thinking Activities
Various thinking activities can be used
throughout the discussion of each topic. Try these
activities:
- Visioning. Ask: What would an ideal outcome look like?
- Brainstorming. Engage participants and make a list of ideas.
- Categorizing. Organize a list of ideas into topic areas.
- Prioritizing. Consider potential alternatives and assign priorities.
- Pros & Cons. Analyze the ideas presented.
- Question & Answer. Ask questions of the persons presenting their ideas.
- Challenging Assumptions. Have the speaker explain his or her assumptions.
- Researching Facts. Ask: What information do we need to know to make a decision?
- Creating Scenarios. Explore potential alternatives that may take place.
- Gap Analysis. Analyze the current state compared to the desired future state.
- Force Field Analysis. Analyze the forces (resources, skills, attitudes)
contributing to the solution and the obstacles (barriers, problems
deficiencies) to overcome.
- Planning next steps. Ask: Where do we go from here?
- Evaluating the Meeting. Ask: How effective was this meeting?
What do people take away from the meeting?
Putting it Together: Sequence and Timing
The strategic use of various meeting elements results in an engaging, successful meeting. For a
meeting with a topic that is in the information gathering stage, a likely sequence of activities might
look like this:
- Brainstorming. Ask groups of three to brainstorm for 10 minutes then regroup to
share ideas for 15 minutes.
- Categorizing. Have three members of the group categorize the items from the brainstorming while the
rest of the group takes a break for 15 minutes.
- Prioritizing. As a group, select the top five categories for further discussion. Provide each
member with five sticky notes and have them stick the note beside the categories of highest
priority. 5 minutes.
- Open Discussion. Discuss each of the top five categories for 10 minutes each.
Sequences like this preserve the group's attention and concentration,
resulting in more productive meetings.
Notice that in the above example each item has a
time limit. To create a sense of focus and urgency,
allocate a time frame to each thinking activity.
The Bottom Line: Rate Your Meeting Design
At the end of the day, what really counts is how well
you accomplished your objectives. Ask yourself these
questions:
- Is there clarity for each topic as to how that item
will be managed?
- Are time limits set for each agenda item?
- Are group members fully engaged in the
discussion?
- Are all members taking responsibility for action
items and follow-up?
- How would you rate the pace of the meetings?
If you are happy with your responses,
congratulations. You have indeed mastered your
game.
Next month, we discuss Group Decision Making
Processes, the final topic in this series.
Wishing you effective meetings,
Jacque Small
*Adapted from a Facilitator's Guide to Participatory
Decision-Making, Sam Kaner, Lenny Lind, Catherine
Toldi, Sarah Fisk and Duane Berger
Join Jacque for her newest workshop,
Foundations for Effective Meetings. In this half-day
event Jacque covers establishing agreements for
meetings, setting objectives, designing the agenda,
and making clear decisions. Effectively
leveraging everyone's time will reduce the number of
meetings you need to attend. For information on this
new program e-mail
info@CatalystCoach.ca.
Catalyst
Business Coaching is a corporate development organization. It
works with people who want to achieve a greater
sense of success for both themselves and others in
the organization. It supports people to develop
strong interpersonal communication skills and build
foundations to develop dynamic teams. Jacque
Small, principal and owner of Catalyst, founded the
company in 2000.
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