Masonry Magazine February 1993 Page. 62
Getting the Most Out of Management Meetings
Nine ways-if you decide that a meeting is necessary-to get the most out of it.
Studies show that the average senior executive spends seventeen hours a week in meetings, another six hours in preparing for them and even longer recovering. Yet almost a third of the time spent in meetings are considered to be a total waste. This costs the economy dearly a staggering $37-billion annually.
Before you call your next meeting, try thinking of alternatives. Is a meeting really necessary? Many issues can be handled much more efficiently through other means such as a memo, a phone call, a one-on-one conversation, a social chat or via a newsletter. By JOE KAMINSKI President, Priority Management If you decide that a meeting is necessary, here are some tips on how to get the most out of it:
Set an agenda and distribute it in advance. Try to give at least 48 hours notice. This gives people time to prepare or gather necessary information so that decisions can be made.
Always start on time-don't reward the late comers and punish those individuals who were on time.
Start on a positive note. It helps to set the stage for productive interaction.
If there is a highly emotional item on the agenda, introduce it as a discussion item only the first time around, and then reintroduce as an action item at the next meeting (thus allowing cooler heads to prevail.)
Try to avoid introducing a lot of new business on the agenda, and especially avoid introducing new business at the tail end of a meeting because that's when concentration starts to fail.
Stick to the agenda. Don't let people take the opportunity to get some "personal airtime" during your meetings.
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62 MASONRY-JANUARY/FEBRUARY, 1993