Running Effective Meetings* Pacific Northwest Drupal Summit October 5, 2013 Glenn Hilton @glennhilton * Content drawn from Manager-Tools.com

Running Effective Meetings Pacific North West Drupal Summit

Why do meetings get a bad rap?

Running Effective Meetings Pacific North West Drupal Summit

Why are meetings so important?  

!  If run right, they can help us focus & motivate our team and our

clients

!  If they’re not run or not run right right, they can derail progress

!  They can be quite costly

Running Effective Meetings Pacific North West Drupal Summit

Good meetings are purposeful and succinct.

Running Effective Meetings Pacific North West Drupal Summit

10 Keys to a effective meeting: 1.  Do proper prep for all meetings

2.  Pre-publish agenda & assign roles

3.  Start on time

4.  Set ground rules

5.  Review agenda

6.  Fix responsibilities

7.  Stick to agenda

8.  Summarize

9.  Finish on time

10. Document notes and assign tasks

Running Effective Meetings Pacific North West Drupal Summit

1.  Do  proper  prep  for  all  mee-ngs  !  Book  -me  to  create  your  agenda  

!  Book  -me  to  write  the  post-­‐mee-ng  summary  

!  Give  people  adequate  -me  to  prep  for  their  roles  

!  Communicate  clear  expecta-ons  of  what’s  required  from  each  contributor  

!  Do  a  dry  run  for  any  important  mee-ngs  

 

Running Effective Meetings Pacific North West Drupal Summit

2.  Pre-­‐publish  an  agenda  &  assign  roles  

!  Ask  yourself,  “what  is  the  desired  outcome?”  

!  And  “what  are  the  key  decisions  to  be  made?”  

!  Review  carry  forward  items  to  be  added  

!  Assign  responsibili-es/roles  and  start  -mes  

!  Assign  &  train  -me  keeper  and  minute  taker  

Running Effective Meetings Pacific North West Drupal Summit

AGENDA  ImageX  Lounge  Upgrade  Planning  Commi9ee  Mee;ng  Agenda  Oct  2,  2013  2:00  –  2:30  PM.  Boardroom  –  Skype  Audio,  Join.Me      A9endees  AJ,  Trent,  Angela,  Bre.,  Aaron,  Michael,  Sam,  Sangeeta,  Gabrielle      Time        Item            Owner  2:00        Welcome  &  Agenda  Review    BreU  2:05        Placement  of  Massage  Chair    Angela  2:05        Leather  couches  or  cloth  sec-onal?  Sam  2:10        Bubble  or  Air  Hockey?      AJ  2:15        PS4  or  Wii?            Trent  2:20        Budget  Update          Gabrielle  2:25        Parking  lot          BreU  2:30        Adjourn          BreU  

Running Effective Meetings Pacific North West Drupal Summit

3.  Start  on  -me  !  Show  up  early  so  you’re  prepped  and  ready.    !  Test  all  technology  well  enough  in  advance  

!  Start  EXACTLY  on  -me!!  Never  late,  never  wait    

 Respect  those  who  show  up  on  ;me!  

!  Say  to  whomever  is  there:    

 “Okay,  we’re  star?ng”  (Even  if  just  one  person  is  there)  

Running Effective Meetings Pacific North West Drupal Summit

4.  Set  ground  rules  !  We  will  stop  you  if  we  run  out  of  -me    

!  One  person  talking  at  once  

!  Be  respecdul  !  No  smartphones  or  laptops  

Running Effective Meetings Pacific North West Drupal Summit

5.  Review  agenda    !  Agenda  review  helps  keep  the  mee-ng  on  track  

!  Review  objec-ves  at  the  same  -me  

!  Get  buy  in.  Some-mes  you  may  ask:  

“What  are  you  hoping  we’ll  accomplish  today?”  

Running Effective Meetings Pacific North West Drupal Summit

6.  Fix  responsibili-es  !  At  the  end  of  each  item  ask:  

 “WHO’s  responsible  for  doing  WHAT  by  WHEN?”  

!  Make  sure  assignee  agrees  to  work  verbally  

Running Effective Meetings Pacific North West Drupal Summit

7.  S-ck  to  your  agenda  !  Give  people  -me  warnings:  

 “2  minutes  leH”,  “30  seconds  to  wrap  up”  

!  Use  a  parking  lot  for  off  topic  items  

Running Effective Meetings Pacific North West Drupal Summit

8.  Summarize  decisions  and  ac-on  items  !  Review  specific  decisions  made  

!  Review  ac-ons:  Who,  What,  When?  

Running Effective Meetings Pacific North West Drupal Summit

9.  Finish  on  -me    !  Stand  up  and  say  “Ok,  we’re  done”  

Running Effective Meetings Pacific North West Drupal Summit

10.  Document  notes  and  assign  tasks  !  Outline  carry  forward  items  

!  Send  wriUen  key  decisions  and  ac-on  items    

(with  owners)  to  aUendees  

Running Effective Meetings Pacific North West Drupal Summit

Secrets for a successful client meeting

!  First impressions matter

!  Know your audience

!  Proper preparation

!  Energy & confidence

!  Strong leadership

!  Be aware of potential fires

!  Reflect back (strong listening skills)

!  Include relational element (ie. Light chat,

icebreakers?)

!  Maintain structure & efficiency

Running Effective Meetings Pacific North West Drupal Summit

Ques-ons  for  discussion  !  What  are  common  problems  you  face  in  mee-ngs?  

!  What  are  some  of  the  keys  you’ve  found  to  running    

effec-ve  mee-ngs?