I want to share in this leadership article three actions you can begin using immediately to improve the meetings you’re responsible for guiding.

These actions serve as powerful team building techniques because it helps you lead and teaches your team to communicate more effectively.

1. Create a detailed agenda for every meeting.
1. Put the purpose of the meeting at the top (If you’re not sure of the purpose, you probably do not need to have a meeting!)
2. Apply time frames and intended outcomes next to every agenda topic area
3. Send the agenda out in advance to all attendees
4. Review the purpose and agenda at the start of the meeting with attendees
5. Use a timer to guide discussions and to keep the meeting on purpose


2. Create Meeting Ground Rules or a Team Code of Conduct (they're both the same thing with different names) to guide participant actions and behaviors – POST THEM and review at the start of every meeting.
1. If you meet regularly in the same room, post them permanently
2. Add ‘rules’ to your list as needed to help the group overcome specific dysfunctional behaviors
3. Improve buy-in, consider having the group create their own meeting ground rules.
4. The goal, with the guidelines. is for the group to become self-regulating – so that they begin correcting themselves based on the ground rules.
5. Here are some of my favorite ground rules:


• Start and end on time.
• Be soft on people, hard on ideas.
• Share all relevant information.
• Everyone speaks.
• No beeps, buzzies, ringy-dingies.
• Have one conversation.
• Meeting work only.
• Give benefits first.
• Discuss the 'un-discussable' issues.
• Take a stand.
• Explain reasoning and intent.
• Use the parking boards.


3. Use a Parking Board. This is simply a piece of flip chart paper posted in the room and used to captures topics that are brought up that are not directly relevant to the agenda or to capture action items for follow up. Use the Parking Board to “park” information for later in the meeting or after the meeting for follow up.

Great meetings are not created by themselves. Use these three tools (and all the other powerful stuff Michael shares in his books and courses) to transform your meetings.

You might find that, like me, you no longer hate them!

This is a quote from comedian Dave Barry - the first time I heard it I laughed nervously. I've put this at the end and deleted his exact verbiage.

Had to share in this leadership article because, unfortunately there's some truth to his humor. Don't let this be true of YOUR meetings, take control now:

“Meetings are an addictive, highly self-indulgent activity that corporations and other large organizations habitually engage in only because they cannot XXX”

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