Meeting tips for energy and results

A large part of our working time is spent in meetings. Creating connection and clarity in meetings keeps the energy flowing and ensures that meetings produce results. We’d like to share a series of tips that contribute to enjoyable and effective meetings. Want to put them into practice with your team? Pick a few tips to focus on over the coming months, translate them into concrete agreements and evaluate what works and what needs adjusting after about 10 meetings. Here are our tips.

Tips for preparation

• Limit the number of participants. Try to restrict attendance to those who are directly involved in the topic. This keeps the discussion focused and efficient.
• Plan meetings with just a few people. If during a meeting you notice that a discussion needs to happen between a few specific people in the room, have those people schedule a separate moment after the meeting. This saves time for everyone who isn’t involved.
• Send information out in advance so participants can review it before the meeting. This prevents the meeting from turning into a reading session. Use the meeting for clarifying questions and making concrete agreements to turn information into action.
• Set the meeting agenda in advance on a shared platform (SharePoint or similar) so participants can prepare properly. Note any open questions that tie into the decision and its translation into concrete action. Two questions that help here: WCWDT (What-Can-We-Do-To?) and HCW (How-Can-We?). Also see the connecting decision-making framework.
• Give participants the opportunity to add their own agenda items.
• Assign clear roles, such as moderator/chair, note-taker and timekeeper. This helps the meeting run smoothly and ensures all agenda items are covered.
• Aim for participants to come with concrete proposals themselves, using the meeting only to check for objections. If there are objections, enrich the proposal based on the needs and values behind those objections.

Tips for moderating the meeting

Have the meeting facilitated by someone who can be firm about how the meeting is run (the form) and empathic towards the content.

• Firm on form means:

  • Making sure people listen to each other and let each other finish.
  • Sometimes insisting that people first briefly summarise what they heard before sharing their own opinion.
  • Making sure participants actually answer the questions being asked. If you want to explore opinions, don’t look for solutions. If you’re looking for solutions, don’t ask for opinions.

• Empathic on content means:

  • Asking people who are long-winded or repeating themselves to share their message briefly and concisely.
  • Helping people who struggle to find their words by occasionally summarising what you’ve understood so far.
  • Inviting people who only react non-verbally to also speak up.
  • Directing your attention to the underlying needs of the participants. You can do this by asking about them explicitly.
  • Exploring needs and values when people object to proposals. Good decisions are usually accepted when the insights of every stakeholder are taken into account.

• See the good intentions of others. Make sure people in the meeting are aware that everyone acts and speaks from their own values and ideals. A brief check-in where everyone shares how they’re doing and what’s on their mind can be helpful. At the end of a meeting, you can also briefly evaluate how the meeting was experienced: “What went well and what could be better?” Giving feedback to the moderator can also be valuable. This helps both the moderator and the participants learn what’s needed for an efficient meeting.

• Action points and responsibilities. End every meeting with clear action points and assign specific responsibilities to individual participants. This creates accountability and progress.

• Follow-up. Ensure quick follow-up after the meeting with minutes and an action list. This keeps everyone informed and ensures decisions are carried out.

• Use of technology. Make use of digital tools for collaboration and communication. This can increase meeting efficiency, especially when some participants join online.

• Meet standing, possibly at high tables. This often naturally shortens the meeting.