Has anyone ever said, ‘I wish I could go to more meetings today’?
Matt Mullenweg*
*(Source : https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/meetings-quotes)
Most of us, at some point in our working lives, will have been subjected to a meeting that gets hijacked by someone with a sense of their own importance, a meeting that disintegrates into disagreement, or one that just lacks clear focus.
The end result often leaves attendees feeling stressed and/or frustrated.
Meetings though, are a necessity of the workplace and when run well, can be effective and productive with everyone leaving with a feeling of purpose and a clear direction.
While online meetings can be efficient, reducing the need to travel for instance, after several years of these many people now appreciate the opportunity to get together in the physical presence of others. Hybrid meetings though, pose their own challenges, such as making sure all participants are engaged and have opportunity to speak up.
Whatever the meeting style – the question remains – how to make them effective? Do you need to attend every meeting? How do you make sure everyone with something valid to say is successfully included? Should you take minutes? Set an agenda?
For some guidance on how to get the most out of your meetings check out the Wellington City Libraries resources below.
In his TED talk, How to save the world (or at least yourself) from bad meetings Information Security Manager David Grady suggestions some ways to address the “… epidemic of bad, inefficient, overcrowded meetings [that] is plaguing the world’s businesses — and making workers miserable.”
In another TED talk, Leadership expert Cindy Solomon shares her 5 tips for dealing with meeting overload and advises that The phenomenon of “calendar creep,” where meetings completely take over your work days, is wasting time, energy and productivity — but you can take back control.
HBR Online’s article 4 Distractions that Derail Meetings — and How to Handle Them “… presents four dysfunctional behaviors that cause meetings to derail, as well as what managers need to know to make their team’s meetings more effective, efficient, and productive.”
Do you need to meet or could it be said in an email? Amanda Woodard’s article outlines why, even though many meetings could be summarised in an email, there is still a place for face to face meetings.
Does your team meet regularly? David Burkus outlines What To Cover in a Team’s Weekly Meeting
For a more in-depth look at how to improve meetings use your library sign-in to access LinkedIn Learning’ s course Leading Productive Meetings. In this training “ … productivity expert Dave Crenshaw demonstrates a simple, usable framework that can help you get the most from your meetings—whether in person or virtual—by turning them into productive avenues for communicating, connecting, and accomplishing real work”
If you want to make virtual meetings more effective then Leading Virtual Meetings might be helpful. In this LinkedIn learning course Kevin Eikenberry “…identifies the challenges to holding a productive meeting online, and shares tactics for making these meetings successful”.
Further guidance can be found in some of the many resources in our book collection like these ones below :
How to fix meetings : meet less, focus on outcomes and get stuff done / Allcott, Graham
“Calendar full of meetings that could just be an email? A list of action points but not time to work on completing them? Online and offline, too much valuable time is wasted in meetings. Advisers to some of the world’s leading companies on productivity, Graham Allcott and Hayley Watts provide realistic and practical advice that really makes a difference, showing how to reduce the amount of time you spend in meetings, and ensure that the bones that you do hold and attend are genuine opportunities to collaborate and get things done.” (Catalogue)
Suddenly hybrid : managing the modern meeting / Reed, Karin M.
“Prior to COVID 19, hybrid meetings were relatively rare and consisted of the majority of attendees being in person with perhaps someone “dialing in” (and often forgot about). The hybrid meeting that will likely monopolize the way meetings are conducted from here on out will likely involve a group of people gathered in one conference room, maybe another group of people gathered in a huddle room somewhere else, and a variety of folks showing up in their own individual boxes on screen via their personal webcams. Managing the expectations, participation, and conversation flow for all of these different constituencies will be fraught with challenges but perhaps some opportunities as well for the leader who leans into developing new skills. This book provides some much-needed early insight and guidance into what works and what does NOT when it comes to hybrid meetings…”– Provided by publisher.” (Adapted from Catalogue)
Meet with impact : 40 visual tools for productive meetings and engaging workshops / Russell, Tom
“This book is for people who regularly plan and lead meetings. The author explains why this book is important, and why as a meeting leader the reader should use their valuable time to read it”– Provided by publisher.” (Catalogue)
The surprising science of meetings : how you can lead your team to peak performance / Rogelberg, Steven G
“… In The Surprising Science of Meetings, Steven G. Rogelberg, researcher and consultant to some of the world’s most successful companies, draws from extensive research, analytics and data mining, and survey interviews with over 5,000 employees across a range of industries to share the proven practices and techniques that help managers and employees enhance the quality of their meetings. For those who lead and participate in meetings, Rogelberg provides immediate direction, guidance, and relief, offering a how-to guide to change your working life starting today.”–Amazon.com.” (Adapted from Catalogue)
Taking minutes of meetings : how to take efficient notes that make sense and support meetings that matter / Gutmann, Joanna
“Taking Minutes of Meetings guides you through the entire process of minute taking: arranging the meeting; writing the agenda; creating the optimum environment; structuring the meeting and writing notes up accurately. The often misunderstood role of minute-taker is one of the most important and powerful in a meeting, and this book will help you excel at this crucial skill, allowing you to build your career and credibility. Taking Minutes of Meetings is an easy to read ‘dip-in, dip-out’ guide, providing hands-on advice about the sections of a meeting as well as tips on how to create an agenda, personal preparation, best practice advice on taking notes and how to improve your accuracy. Fully updated for 2019, this 5th edition now features even more practical exercises, useful templates, and top tips, as well as guidance on using technology effectively and minutes for different types of meetings.” (Catalogue)
The art of gathering : how we meet and why it matters / Parker, Priya
“We spend our lives gathering – first in classrooms and then in meetings, weddings, conferences and away days. Yet so many of us spend this time in underwhelming moments that fail to engage us, inspire us, or connect us. We’ve all sat in meetings where people talk past each other or go through the motions and others which galvanize a team and remind everyone why they first took the job. We’ve been to weddings that were deeply moving and others that were run-of-the-mill and simply faded away. Why do some moments take off and others fizzle? What’s the difference between the gatherings that inspire you and the ones that don’t? In The Art of Gathering, Priya Parker gets to the heart of these questions and reveals how to design a transformative gathering. An expert on organizing successful gatherings whether in conference centres or her living room, Parker shows us how to create moving, magical, mind-changing experiences – even in spaces where we’ve come to expect little.” (Catalogue) EBook format only.
Talk lean : shorter meetings, quicker results, better relations / Palmer, Alan
“The businessperson’s guide to saying what needs to be said and asking questions that need to be asked In the business world, the first step to great results is good communication.” (Catalogue)
Death by meeting : a leadership fable about solving the most painful problem in business / Lencioni, Patrick
“In his latest work of business fiction, Patrick Lencioni provides readers with another powerful and thought-provoking book, this one centered on a cure for the most painful yet underestimated problem of modern business: bad meetings. And what he suggests is both simple and revolutionary.” “Casey McDaniel, the founder and CEO of Yip Software, is in the midst of a problem he created, but one he doesn’t know how to solve. And he doesn’t know where or whom to turn to for advice. His staff can’t help him; they’re as dumbfounded as he is by their torturous meetings.” “Then an unlikely advisor, Will Petersen, enters Casey’s world. When he proposes an unconventional, even radical, approach to solving the meeting problem, Casey is just desperate enough to listen.” “As in his other books, Lencioni provides a model, and makes it applicable to the real world. Death by Meeting is a blueprint for leaders who want to eliminate waste and frustration among their teams, and create environments of engagement and passion.”–BOOK JACKET.” (Catalogue)
If you would like further information please contact the Prosearch team at the library. We can help you find information across a range of perspectives and resources. All enquiries are treated in confidence.