I love brainstorming sessions, as long as everyone understands we are not necessarily looking for the answer, but to be creative and make suggestions. This way of thinking requires people remove their negativity.
Lisa,
All brainstorming sessions need to have rules. These rules should be discussed prior to the session starting. There some good rules you can find under the section on brainstorming ideas from researching on Google.
Dr. Gary Carlson
The max count in our meetings is usually 8. Our other groups have their meetings of between 6 and 8. Once a month all groups come together for one big meeting.
Since we are all basically on the same page with minor variations, our large group meetings actually move quite fast.
John,
Organization is important to your ability to move through a meeting. Keeping on task to the point and completing action items is key.
Dr. Gary Carlson
I have always appreciated when a manager can stick to an agenda and not go over scheduled meetings. One thing that is positive about this is that if organized correctly you are able to discuss many topics in one meeting. The negative is when there is specific time allocated for each subject. When your employees feel like they do not have enough time to express their ideas this could cause a negative impact for future meetings. For example, staff may begin to dread attending your meeting calling it a “waste of my time they do not listen to us anywayâ€. I have seen this many times and I would hate to have my employee say that about me.
Theresa,
Meetings can be key to the progress or a deterrent to ownership to any task When expectations of a meeting are well spelled out and are followed the participants know what to expect. I have had the opportunity to lead many meetings in by life time with boards, school, non-profits etc. You are exactly correct when you set expectations (agenda) and stick to them.
Dr. Gary Carlson
