In this video, you'll learn how to organize and facilitate
effective team meetings that will
lead to a successful project.
While the size, purpose, and format of meetings may differ,
effective meetings always have the following elements
in common.
They are structured, intentional, collaborative,
and inclusive.
Let's study these elements in more detail.
First, effective meetings are structured.
This means they start and end on time.
The attendees have been carefully selected.
The meeting topics are prioritized.
And the designated note taker has been assigned.
Managing the meeting time and audience
lets participants know that they're valued and appreciated.
Remember that everyone's time is valuable.
If someone's presence is unnecessary,
you don't need to invite them to the meeting.
Maybe you can share the notes.
Include people who can contribute to the discussion
and anyone who will be directly affected by the topics
discussed.
Structured meetings also have an agenda with prioritized topics.
So the most important items are given appropriate attention.
It's good to think about and set expectations for how long
you expect the group to spend on a given topic.
This is defined as timeboxing, which
just means you're setting a time limit for discussion.
In a timebox, you give each topic a buffer of a few minutes
to make sure you're not over packing your agenda.
Keep the meeting time in mind.
And make sure you scheduled enough time for the topic you
need to cover.
If there are several topics you need to address,
consider scheduling a few shorter meetings with just one
or two topics as their focus.
After your first few team meetings,
think about the pacing to know if you
need to be more generous with the time given to each topic
or if the group has time for a little more.
If you get through your topics before your time is up,
don't be afraid to call a meeting early.
Everybody loves having their time back.
Finally, a structured meeting should have a designated note
taker, so you or anyone else can refer to the meeting notes
later and find out what was discussed.
The note taker could be or another meeting attendee.
For this reason, be clear about how, when, and to whom
the meeting's outcomes are shared.
Again, this all depends on the type
of meeting you're having and who is attending.
The next point to consider is that effective meetings
are also intentional.
This means they have a clearly-stated purpose
and expectations, which should be in the meeting agenda as
well as the meeting invite, so everyone understands
why they're attending.
The agenda needs to set clear expectations
for what needs to occur before and during a meeting.
It helps attendees prepare, keeps everyone focused
on the right topics, and clarifies meeting expectations
and goals.
The purpose of your meeting might
be to make a decision, assign tasks, propose/invent an idea,
or something else.
Your meeting's purpose or goal describes the reason
you're meeting and what you'd like to achieve.
A well-designed agenda increases the group's ability
to address problems and prevents wasting time.
For example, you may be reviewing last month's business
sales and setting goals for the next month.
Maybe your group needs to choose coordinators for an upcoming
event.
Or your goal could be to have your supervisor prioritize
a list of tasks.
The purpose might change from meeting to meeting.
Or it could stay the same.
If input is needed by attendees, be
sure to send any pre-reading materials in advance
of the meeting, so that everyone shows up
prepared to participate.
Depending on the purpose, meetings
can be formal or informal, have as few as two or three group
members, or have hundreds of attendees.
Whatever it is, make sure you state a clear, thoughtful
purpose and strive to achieve that purpose by the end
of the allotted time.
Another element of effective meetings
is encouraging a collaborative environment.
Collaboration is when people work together
to produce or create something.
There are lots of ways to make your meetings collaborative,
even if the purpose is for one person
to share important information with the rest of the group.
One easy way to do this is to be sure the agenda isn't
just full of presentations, where participants
are talked at.
Be sure the agenda is clear about the objectives
of the session.
Will a decision be made?
Or is the session for information and discussion?
Second, have a digital shared meeting document
and encourage participants to write any comments or thoughts
directly in the document.
But more importantly, remind them
that the notes will be shared.
This encourages active listening and participation in real time
during the meeting.
Last, it's important to respect and embrace
each individual's preferred communication style, even
in meetings, especially in collaborative meetings.
Let folks know they're welcome to respond verbally,
through the chat, in the meeting notes,
or in any other format you'd like to include.
The final element of an effective meeting
is that it's inclusive.
Inclusivity is the practice or policy
of including people who might otherwise
be excluded or marginalized.
When it's done well, inclusion leads
to excellent collaboration ensuring
that every participant's contributions are valued.
As a project manager, you play a critical role
in ensuring that meeting attendees feel
supported and included.
So offering additional resources for ways to participate
is helpful.
For both in-person and virtual meetings,
consider appointing a meeting moderator or facilitator.
This person will guide the meeting
and help participants ask questions in real time,
while someone else is presenting.
This way, the presenter can stay focused on their topic
while the moderator pays attention to the participants
and can help guide participants on when they can chime in.
It's also a good idea to leave space
in the meeting for participants who have been quiet.
At the close of a topic or before the meeting ends,
you might consider going around the room once in a while
and asking each person to comment on a particular issue
or question.
I like to call this final flight check,
before everyone takes off and goes their separate ways.
A key component of inclusivity is
ensuring that your meetings and presentations are accessible.
You'll find more information on this in the course resources.
Another thing to consider is the level of internet access
when conducting virtual meetings.
For those without strong internet access,
provide a phone dial in option.
Most online meeting tools, including Google Meet and Zoom,
have this option.
Let participants know it's OK to turn off their cameras if they
need to improve the connection or adjust the video quality.
Focusing on inclusion helps build a sense of belonging
and serves as a reminder that we live
in a world with many different kinds of people.
Creating a meeting space where people
of different views, backgrounds, and experiences
can do their best work and be there for one another is key.
These tips aren't exhaustive by any means.
But hopefully, they can be useful to start
empowering others to meaningfully join
in and contribute.
When done right, meetings can be incredibly useful communication
tools.
That's why it's important to be purposeful
when designing meetings that are structured, intentional,
collaborative, and inclusive.
This will earn you a reputation for writing
efficient, inclusive, successful meetings where everyone
feels appreciated, which is great for your project
and your career.