Comments on: 9 Tips for Effective Meetings

By: Paul@Training & Conference Venues

Paul@Training & Conference Venues — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 11:05:47 +0000

For my meetings, I used to be a massive fan of powerpoint and as you said, the preparation is pretty time consuming. Sometimes is unnecessary. Nowadays, few slides with essential points can be helpful, but not much more, it becomes pointless otherwise.

By: Rob Mart

Rob Mart — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 16:49:46 +0000

It depends. Sometimes a personal meeting is better, sometimes not. A good way to find the right mixture is to use a modern collaboration tool like agreedo.com.
Using this tool sometimes the meetings don’t happen, because its not necessary and not because one person doesn’t like to meet.
A really effective tool. And transparency and is important, too.

By: Mark Shead

Mark Shead — Tue, 31 May 2011 16:55:41 +0000

You are fortunate to be in a position where you can skip meetings like that. :)

By: Y

Mon, 30 May 2011 14:52:03 +0000

I think all meetings before they start should have an agenda. If there is no agenda I will not attend as I can’t prepare for the meeting

By: re: Meeting Management - Rodney Brim

re: Meeting Management - Rodney Brim — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 02:35:29 +0000

Enjoyed your comments, blogged about your perspective and tips in my blog today – http://www.performancesolutionstech.com/meetings-whats-most-important/

I find that the discussion relative to tips you present, while valuable and helpful, is targeted to making meetings more effective discussions. An alternative approach is to consider meetings as action review and launching mechanisms, in which talking gets exponentially less valuable over time.

Your thoughts?

Rodney Brim, CEO Performance Solutions Technology

By: Mark Shead

Mark Shead — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:59:28 +0000

Good luck. Let me know how it goes. :)

By: Justin

Justin — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:41:21 +0000

GREAT post! I think I’m going to print it out and show it to my bosses, who like to have crappy meetings just because they’re “how it has always been”!

By: Craig Thomas

Craig Thomas — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 08:19:36 +0000

Nice post. Over 10 minutes shouldn’t be allowed in – even though I don’t think meetings in themselves are an efficient use of time. :p

By: Jamie Ross (Mining Man)

Jamie Ross (Mining Man) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 04:01:55 +0000

Great article!
Get the context and purpose right – who should be there, and why you are there in the first place, and you’ll go a long way to helping some of the other things.

I definitely support no laptops in meetings – the meeting is about the team as a whole achieving something, not each individual being productive on the group’s time.

Finally – get a parking lot – throw things on there when the meeting gets sidetracked or bogged down.

- Mining Man

By: Stephan H. Wissel

Stephan H. Wissel — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:48:23 +0000

Effective meetings record a 3 part result (great for meeting minutes):
- Information given (ideally upfront in the agenda)
- decisions made (and how: by consent, by % vote, by simple majority)
- Action items: who, what, when

By: Craig (TMNinja)

Craig (TMNinja) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:27:59 +0000

Love this article! Right up my alley!

- For lateness, we don’t allow people in who are >10 mins late.

- We follow a strict “if you are in the meeting, your are *in* the meeting” rule. If you are working on your laptop you will be ejected. :)

- Craig

By: Voranc

Voranc — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 21:57:27 +0000

Nice post…tip no. 3 is my favorite. Although, I think that all time-wasting meeting should be canceled. :)

By: Mark Shead

Mark Shead — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 22:17:54 +0000

I had a teacher who would always walk into class 1 or 2 minutes early, look at his watch, announce “we’re late!” and start teaching. However, he always went 4 or 5 minutes beyond when the class was supposed to get out. We finally decided that he would announce “we’re late!” no matter what time it said on his watch.

By: Travis

Travis — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 22:11:57 +0000

A ten minute meeting isn’t really a meeting it is an update. You get the key people together, they have 1 or 2 minutes to speak and the the person in charge dishes out the praise, suggestions, or future goal. I have never had an update that I couldn’t stand because they were so fast.

I have to say that I am a teacher and alot of the things on here are carried over into the classroom for high school students. Starting on time and having an agenda are key. Ending on time is a must. Having something to do the first few minutes occupies the people and gives a few moments of time for set up if necessary. And any lesson where the teacher talks longer than 7 to 10 minutes is dead.

And start an argument, they are memorable and do work.

Good stuff I am passing this along to my dept head.

By: Dan (Leadership Freak)

Dan (Leadership Freak) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 21:31:36 +0000

You can hear the groan around the office when another meeting is scheduled. Most of us hate another meeting.

Use meeting to argue is something I can use. Thanks.