we are required to hold faculty meetings every 2 weeks. We are a small team that has daily interaction so I feel preparing an agenda for these meetings is sometimes difficult.
I feel that sometimes we have to meet for the sake of holding a meeting and not because its necessary.
So my hardest part is putting a meaningful agenda together.
Susan,
I agree with you. We should never have a meeting for a meeting sake. Both you as a leader and your people may want to place items on an agenda. When the items are necessary for discussion a meeting should be held. When we meet just to meet the meaningfulness of the meeting diminishes.
Dr. Gary Carlson
The hardest part is deciding on a time frame for the meeting because it seems that more times than not the timeframe is not adhered too. I would accomplish the timeframe issue by not having too many different objectives on the agenda this way the meeting would run more smoothly and the tasks would be accomplished.
Janet,
Priority is the key to accomplishing the most important topics first on and agenda. Pre agenda distribution and topic expectations will give the members the ground work on what is expected. Time limits are set for a purpose and only the leader of the meeting can extend or reduce time on each agenda item. It is necessary at times to make adjustments but it is extremely important to not let discussion get off track or allowing the same discussion when it becomes redundant to continue.
Dr. Gary Carlson
I think the hardest task in preparing for a meeting is keeping the meeting within the scheduled meeting time. Certain topics could take longer than others and as the meeting leader, it can be challenging to keep the meeting on track.
Cheryl,
Communicating the expectations of a meeting beforehand is very important. When we do this it helps us keep the meeting on track and focus. Timelines should be developed with the biggest priorities first and if we don't get to the minor priorities they will survive until the next meeting.
Dr. Gary Carlson
The key to any meeting is to have a strong facilitator who isn’t afraid to take control of a meeting. Some people talk at meetings because they like to hear themselves talk. Having a facilitator that will keep meetings on track and still welcome input is the most important thing.
Wayne,
You are so right with your observance. The leader of a meeting is the key to a great meeting. The agenda has expectations and the only way meet those expectations is to stay on track. If we hear a story that is redundant to what we have already heard we need to call the person into order by letting know we have already heard this perspective. Either off subject comments or redundancy is a way to ruin a good meeting.
Dr. Gary Carlson
Personally, I have found the "time allocation/management" component of allocating an estimated 30 minutes per topic (suggested by quiz taken) to be address in meeting a challenging task at times to keep; especially when you try to provide an environment that is balanced between open group dialogue and desired outcomes.
I am responsible for conducting a weekly one hour WebEx with seven locations covering four time zones. Even with the technology, I find it difficult to achieve the level of participation I wish with the group.
Rafael ,
Good ideas! Remember to put your highest priorities first on the agenda.
Dr. Gary Carlson
L.,
The best way to achieve this is to assign questions to people so you don't catch them off guard to answer and this will help to stimulate other questions through Chat or verbal.
Dr. Gary Carlson
I think the hardest part of meeting prep is putting the agenda together in a manner that ensures the topics will all have time to be adequately discussed. Information that needs to be discussed often changes at the last minute and the agenda has to be adjusted so the meeting does not go over the allotted time.
The way I attempt to deal with this is by preparing the easy stuff in advance, having open discussion (time permitting) at the end of meeting and breaking items down into understandable and parts.
I need to work more at providing materials in advance of the meeting, communicate the desired outcomes and follow up.
Jay,
Putting the right agenda together is a big task. It is almost impossible to pick times that will work. You never know what may come up. I always put the most important items at the front end and let them take the time they need. Especially if they require understanding for a roll/out or change. Items that need action should be first. Other agenda items that can be table and dealt with through email or individual meetings I leave to the last. Always send out your agenda items with expectations from each item. This will get the focus on the item quicker and without as much explanation.
Dr. Gary Carlson
The hardest task is preparing for a meeting is the order of the objectives on the agenda. It is hard to plan what will be a lengthy topic and what will be quick before hand.
Karen,
Topics for an agenda should put the action items first. Those that are more priority than others should be on the front end. Prior to the meeting all agenda items should be sent out to those in the need to know. Along with the agenda there should be an explanation of the topic and the expectations for having the topic on the agenda. This will save time to focus faster on the agenda. No introduction will be needed.
Dr. Gary Carlson
I would agree that sticking with the agenda and time allotted is usually the hardest aspect. Sometimes there are so many factors to consider that it is difficult figuring out what to do to keep the meeting moving along at the pace that was originally set.
Elizabeth,
Organization is the key to meeting success. I have had the opportunity over the past 40+ years to run many meetings. I plan meetings to allow people to know the agenda before the meeting with objectives outlined of what outcomes we are looking at achieving in the meeting. I always put action items first in the agenda and are they are priority to the other items on the agenda. If time doesn't allow for the items that are not action items you can find other ways of distributing this information. Time is valuable to all concerned your attention to this matter makes people more comfortable with attending your meetings. You set the tone for being on task and setting the accomplishment goals.
Dr. Gary Carlson
I think the hardest task is keeping everyone on the agenda and not going off subject. I resolve this by reiterating our agenda once the meeting begins to go off subject.
Chris,
Good idea, You cab develop your agendaa early and send it our with the expectations fof the agenda revealed. This will help you to express reminders of the objective and expectations for the meeting.
Dr. Gary Carlson
