You know a bad meeting when you’re in it, and afterwards. It drones on and on. There seems to be no point. People talk too much. No decisions are made. You wonder why you got invited.
When you get done, you say to yourself, “What was that all about?”
One way to add a success marker to your meetings is to provide a written email summary to all attendees afterwards. This requires you (as the meeting leader) or a designee to take notes. That person must be a good listener, know the issues and how to summarize effectively what was said, and who is responsible for specific actions moving forward.
I have done this repeatedly in my career the past 15 years or so, and always hear positive feedback. People are clear about next actions. They recognize deadlines. They know who is responsible for what. That is good for your organization and your team.
Next time you have a meeting, take notes. They don’t have to be in-depth, but make sure you capture key deliverables, new ideas and points you want to emphasize. If you do this, then provide your write-up to attendees in a timely fashion (within a day), everybody benefits. It’s not hard or complicated. It just takes a few minutes of your time, and will make you a more effective leader.
When you get done, you say to yourself, “What was that all about?”
One way to add a success marker to your meetings is to provide a written email summary to all attendees afterwards. This requires you (as the meeting leader) or a designee to take notes. That person must be a good listener, know the issues and how to summarize effectively what was said, and who is responsible for specific actions moving forward.
I have done this repeatedly in my career the past 15 years or so, and always hear positive feedback. People are clear about next actions. They recognize deadlines. They know who is responsible for what. That is good for your organization and your team.
Next time you have a meeting, take notes. They don’t have to be in-depth, but make sure you capture key deliverables, new ideas and points you want to emphasize. If you do this, then provide your write-up to attendees in a timely fashion (within a day), everybody benefits. It’s not hard or complicated. It just takes a few minutes of your time, and will make you a more effective leader.