- Having a written agenda with time (and a presenter and/or discussion questions, if appropriate) allotted to each item
- appointing a meeting facilitator to control the discussion (for instance by stopping side conversations and unnecessary chitchat) keeping discussions on track and avoiding digressions, preventing unnecessary repetition of shared viewpoints and stopping deadlocked disagreements that should be tabled for future discussion while ensuring that everyone gets a chance to talk, moving the agenda along, and watching theclock)
- and sending materials (such as data, notes, slides, reports, questionnaires, surveys, requests) out in advance if they will be discussed in the meeting. Agendas should be sent out in advance (and stuck to in the meeting).
- Designate a notetaker to keep a record of the key points discussed, decisions made, and questions and queries for future action items. They need to post/distribute notes promptly.
- The facilitator can also ask attendees for suggestions/input on the agenda, but this should be done before the meeting so as not to waste time. The facilitator should ask about this when they distribute the agenda and can send out an updated agenda if there is time, or share the updated agenda at the beginning of the meeting.
- Cara discusses the advantages and drawbacks of using formal meeting rules (e.g., Robert’s Rules of Order), but stresses the importance of having some explicit and consistent rules for how meetings will be run, even if they are relatively informal.
- Meetings should start and end on time (or early!).
- It's important to put the most urgent agenda items at or near the beginning of the meeting.
- Remember to make sure that all attendees know why they are there (ensuring only the necessary people are invited, but making sure all of the necessary people are invited).
- Whenever possible or necessary, agenda items should be phrased as questions to focus attendees on active problem solving and next steps.
- Having the meeting facilitator keep track of time and speak up to keep the group on track as needed is also key.
- Think about what kinds of tasks should be handled in meetings and which could be addressed via email, messaging, or collaborative digital editing.
- Meetings should be reserved for collaboration, creativity, and consensus–for tasks complex enough to require the nuance, pivoting, and inspiration made possible by face-to-face discussion.
- Making it clear to meeting attendees what your goals are and what the group needs to accomplish is essential. This can and should be done in both the advance messaging scheduling the meeting and in the beginning of the meeting itself.
- The notetaker should also follow up with concrete next steps and due dates resulting from the meeting discussion.
Compose a detailed and comprehensive email to Toni Leandro, transforming the above notes into a well-organized document that communicates what you learned and could serve as
a guide later when preparing for future meetings. Frontload why or how the seminar’s key
takeaways could make your department meetings more effective. Include all the key
recommendations and the rationale behind them, but edit for clarity and concision. Finally, offer
suggestions for how you could share what you have learned with your hypothetical department colleagues.
Subject: Improving Department Meetings: Key Takeaways and Best Practices
Hi Toni,
I hope this email finds you well. I recently attended a seminar on improving the effectiveness of meetings, and I wanted to share with you some key takeaways that I believe could greatly benefit our department meetings moving forward.
One of the main points emphasized in the seminar was the importance of having a written agenda with specific time allocations for each item, along with a designated meeting facilitator to ensure that discussions stay on track and that everyone has an opportunity to participate. By implementing these strategies, we can ensure that our meetings are productive and efficient.
Additionally, sending out materials in advance and appointing a notetaker to keep track of key points discussed can help streamline our meetings and ensure that decisions made during the meeting are documented and followed up on in a timely manner.
It was also suggested that we establish explicit and consistent rules for how meetings will be run, even if they are relatively informal. This can help set expectations for all attendees and ensure that meetings are conducted in a structured and respectful manner.
Furthermore, starting and ending meetings on time, prioritizing urgent agenda items, and phrasing agenda items as questions to promote active problem-solving were identified as key best practices for running effective meetings.
I believe that implementing these recommendations could greatly improve the efficiency and productivity of our department meetings. To share these insights with our colleagues, we could schedule a brief meeting to discuss the key takeaways from the seminar and brainstorm ways to incorporate these practices into our future meetings. I believe that by working together to implement these strategies, we can make our meetings more effective and impactful.
Thank you for considering these recommendations. I look forward to discussing this further with you and our colleagues.
Best regards,
[Your Name]