You don’t hate meetings
You hate badly run meetings.
Meetings are more than just throwing people together in a room. There is a lot that goes into unlocking the ideas and decision making power of a group. So many people are either bad at it or just want people to “be adults” and “figure it out”. They don't want to be or don’t know how to create a good group environment.
If this is you right now, no worries. Small changes can make a big difference.
Good meetings start before the calendar invite goes out.
There is a framework I’ve been using for years called the 4Ps of effective meetings: Purpose, Product, People, and Process.
I also add in a 5th: Preparation.
Purpose - Why do you need to meet?
If it’s just a status update, send an email. Synchronous meetings are ideal for brainstorming and decision making. Why you are choosing to meet will help you answer the rest of the questions.
Product - What is the outcome from this meeting?
This should be a specific goal you can share with the group. (e.g a list of 10 ideas, a decision on the budget, action items for next month.)
People - Who need to be involved?
The invite list should consist of who needs to be involved not just who would like to be involved or informed.
Many times in team with lack of transparency meeting invites fill up with additions of people who want to know what’s going on but don’t necessarily have something to add.
Related to the ideas in The Art of Gathering. More isn’t always merrier. Be honest about who is actually invited and don’t hesitate to say no to someone who isn’t vital to the discussion. Let them know you value them and will send them notes afterwards.
Process
The purpose of your meeting and the number of people invited are going to help define the process. How is this group of people going to get to the outcome we want?
Don't just start a meeting by diving in. Remind people of why they are there.
Small groups should be run differently than large groups (>10).
Brainstorming sessions are going to be run differently than decision making meetings.
Preparation
The process, the people and the purpose are going to help you identify if there is any preparation people need to do before the meeting.
I err on the side of having people do some preparation. People are busy and meetings are expensive. If we can get to the core of the meeting faster by having people come prepared, I’m all for it.
Have they gotten their thoughts together to present a new idea or reviewed an idea enough to make a decision? If people aren’t going to have time to prepare, do you need to build 10 minutes of reading a document into the process?
Some people are really good at thinking on their feet. Others aren't. Preparation step can help the participants who want to take their time before voicing their opinion.
Which meeting on your calendar could benefit from using the 5Ps?
