Poor meetings are often accepted as a natural cost of doing business. But they needn’t be, says Steven G Rogelberg, author of The Surprising Science of Meetings
Meetings are not in and of themselves problematic. Meetings are essential to teams and organisations. Without meetings, organisational democracy, inclusion, participation, buy-in, communication, attachment, teamwork, coordination, and cohesion would all be compromised. What we need to rid ourselves of are bad meetings, wasted time in meetings, and unnecessary meetings.
Sadly, most companies and leaders view poor meetings as inevitable because they don’t know of better ways or they try new methods that don’t stick, as they really are not founded on any scientific evidence of success. Also, bad meetings beget more bad meetings as dysfunctional practices become normative across the organisation. Taken together, poor meetings become accepted as a way of life and a natural cost of doing business, like rain is a way of life in London. But, unlike the weather, meetings can be improved.
Direction and guidance for those leading and participating in meetings
Drawing on more than 15 years of original research I have conducted on the topic of meetings with my team, surveying and interviewing thousands of employees from hundreds of organisations, as well as drawing from a large number of evidence-based sources, my goal is to translate the science to bring direction, guidance, and relief to those leading and participating in meetings.
While many people I meet are surprised to hear that there are social and organisational scientists who study meetings, this research has produced large numbers of scientific publications, conference presentations, book chapters, dissertations, and extensive media coverage. And, of most relevance here, this science has produced insights and practical applications that can directly benefit executives and organisations by promoting efficiency, productivity, increased innovation and employee engagement, superior decisions, enhanced commitment to initiatives, better communication, and a greater sense of camaraderie across the workforce.
Bad meetings can drain the life out of individuals and organisations. But meetings done well, leveraging evidence-based solutions, can be transformative and hugely positive. My latest book, The Surprising Science of Meetings, discusses a variety of methods to improve meetings as well as pointing out obstacles; I’ve also included several tools a manager can use right away to re-think their meeting approach as well as to get buy-in from their team, like the facilitation checklist below.
Good meeting facilitation checklist
Active listening
• Model active listening as others speak (for example, really understand what others are saying). Ask excellent questions so that ideas are truly understood.
• Keep clarifying and summarising where things are and people’s input so that everyone understands the process and the discussion at hand.
• Listen carefully for underlying concerns and help bring them out so that they can be dealt with constructively.
• Keep engaged with the note-taker so that issues, actions, and takeaways are recorded and not lost. Confirm with the attendees that all is correct.
Conflict management
• Encourage conflict around ideas (for example, any concerns with this idea) and then actively embrace and manage the conflict so that benefits for performance and decision making ensue (for example, here is where people are aligned, here is an issue that we should speak more about). Immediately stomp out negative personal attacks and bring the group back to the need for constructive discussion of ideas.
• Maintain an environment where people are comfortable disagreeing (for example, thank people for sharing divergent points of view). Invite debate.
• Deal with disrespectful behaviour quickly through redirection, comments about staying constructive, and reminding attendees of the meeting ground rules.
Ensuring active participation
• Actively draw out input from others (for example, asking those who have not yet contributed to share their thoughts). Keep mental track of who wants to speak and come back to them.
• To keep an attendee from dominating the conversation, use body language (for example, a subtle and small hand movement to indicate the need to stop speaking) and transition statements (for example, ‘thank you for that’).
• Keep side conversations at bay by reigning people’s comments in.
Time management
• Keep track of time and pace the meeting effectively given the big picture of the agenda. Be willing to call a break, if needed, to regroup or if energy is waning.
• Do not rush through an emergent issue that truly needs to be discussed. Be able to recognise if an issue raised is best addressed at a subsequent meeting.
• Keep conversation flowing (for example, recognise a tangent and pull it back into what needs to be discussed).
Pushing for consensus
• Test for agreement and consensus to get a sense of where attendees are at, but do not unduly and unnecessarily pressure others to reach a conclusion when not ready (unless there is a time urgency).
• Be willing to take the pulse of the attendees to be sure the process is working and leading to excellent decision making.
• Know when to intervene assertively in the meeting process and provide direction (for example, the group lacks focus and is talking over one another) and when to let the process run as it is.
• Be an honest broker of the conversation at hand, not privileging your viewpoint or ideas in the discussion. Work to remain impartial. Make it clear that your opinion is just one opinion to be discussed.
I like to cite Andy Grove, former CEO of Intel, who likened stolen time to stolen office equipment. I would hazard to say that there is no single investment that organisations treat so carelessly, with so little evaluation or drive to improve, than meetings. Successful organisations, and successful leaders, understand that small, positive changes – say, one meeting every week – can lead to palpable gains for the organisation and the health, motivation, and engagement of its employees.
This is an edited excerpt from The Surprising Science of Meetings: How You Can Lead Your Team to Peak Performance by Steven G Rogelberg, published by Oxford University Press on 25 April 2019, available in hardback and eBook formats. © Steven G Rogelberg.
Steven G Rogelberg holds the title of chancellor’s professor at UNC Charlotte for distinguished national, international, and interdisciplinary contributions. He is a Professor of Organisational Science, Management, and Psychology as well as the Director of Organisational Science, and has more than over 100 publications addressing issues such as team effectiveness, leadership, and employee wellbeing.
