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The "Before, During, and After" of Leading an Effective Meeting
Part 1: During
from Pat Morley
Volume 175
April 10, 2006
NOTE: This is a 3 part series on hosting effective meetings. Obviously, these principles will work anywhere, but I'm putting these ideas out there to help you host energizing men's ministry leadership team meetings.
Meetings, meetings, meetings. A lot of us feel like our lives are withering away at meetings. That's because a lot of meetings are not crisp, well-organized, and purposeful. A lot of meetings ramble on because attendees have different ideas about what should happen at the meeting. Here are three questions to ask that can increase the likelihood of conducting an effective meeting:
1. What is the purpose of this meeting? See if you can come to a consensus about why you are having the meeting. This is not so much what you want to discuss, but the reason-either an opportunity to explore or a problem you are trying to solve.
2. What needs to happen at this meeting for you to consider the meeting a success? If you called the meeting, spend a minute (no more than two) outlining what you think needs to happen at the meeting for you to consider it a success. If you are meeting with a client or vendor, ask them, "What needs to happen at this meeting for you to consider it a success?" Jot down the answers, and sneak a peek a few times during the meeting.
3. Exactly who needs to do what by when? One reason so many meetings are a waste of time is that decisions are made but no one is tasked to implement. For each decision that gets made ask, "Okay, who will be responsible for making this happen, and by when?"
Your leadership team already knows what a boring meeting looks like. Take a few minutes to ask and answer these three questions (two at the beginning and one at the end) and your team will think you're their hero.
Next week we'll look at a super idea to prepare for a great meeting.
Reflection Questions:
- Do you have a plan or system for conducting an effective meeting?
- Do these three questions resonate with you, and why or why not?
- Do you think this method can help you improve your meeting effectiveness?
For the glory of Christ and no other reason...
Pat Morley
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