how to lead a meeting
Meetings – At the Heart of Teamwork
Functions of a Meeting
Meetings are an essential function of any Lodge or Lodge
committee. Meetings perform several key functions better than any other
communication device.
Meetings define the Lodge or Lodge Committee (Who’s there
and committed)
Meetings fill human need. We are a social species.
Meetings give people a sense of belonging.
Meetings are where the Lodge or Committee can collaborate
and use shared knowledge to make decisions or to revise, update, and add to
current plans.
Meetings are an important reflection of how the Lodge
members work together.
The increased rate of change in today’s world makes
well-planned meetings even more necessary.
Leadership Styles and Meetings
Meeting management styles can be divided into four
categories:
“Tell’em and sell’em
The Master or meeting leader comes to meeting with his or
her mind made up to inform the team. The dialogue would include an explanation
of an existing issue or program, a description of the plan, delegation of
responsibilities, questions and answers. This meeting would generally end with
the Master or meeting leader thanking the members for their support and passing
on words of encouragement.
Status Report
The Master or meeting leader invites committee chairmen or
project leaders to give a status report of their current work. Little exchange
is had between members attending the meeting. The meeting is meant to bring
everyone up to date. In today’s world, this type of meeting can be viewed as a
waste of time for many leaders. Status reports can be read. Unless there are
many questions by Lodge or committee members about what is going on, the use of
correspondence (paper or electronic) might be a better approach.
Free-For-All
The Master or meeting leader has no set agenda or stated
objectives. “What would you like to discuss?” Members throw out topics of
discussion. The meeting leader allows everyone to comment. Meeting leaders who
use this style want input from the team. These meetings can be frustrating,
especially to people who have other things to do. Without a clear agenda or very
strong leadership, this type of meeting can be viewed as a waste of time.
Focused, Participative
The Master or meeting leader establishes clear meeting
objectives at the outset of the meeting. If desired, the Master or meeting
leaders can ask for agreement by those present to the outlined objectives.
Members are encouraged to participate throughout the meeting. The leader asks
questions and finds ways to connect, improve, and enhance ideas. The meeting
leader keeps the members on track. The goal of the meeting leader is to bring
out the knowledge and experience of the members.
What Goes Wrong at Meetings
A survey of 950 professions, the following were the top
things that go wrong at meetings:
1.
Getting off subject.
2.
No goals or agenda
3.
Too lengthy
4.
Poor or inadequate preparation
5.
Inconclusive results
6.
Lack of control
7.
Starting late
8.
No effective decision-making
9.
Interruptions within and without the room
10.
Rambling and redundant discussion
11.
No published results of the meeting
12.
No pre-meeting orientation or information
The Results of Poor Meeting Leadership
1.
A lack of full participation and attendance.
2.
A bad attitude about team meetings.
3.
Progress slows or stops
4.
Conflicts between team members
5.
Team members will be confused about objectives.
Focusing Meetings with Objectives
Before calling a meeting, the important thing to ask is,
“What will this meeting achieve?”
(This is true of all committee meetings, but especially so
of both stated and special communications of the Lodge.) This question can be
answered before the meeting by the Master or meeting leader (important if you
want the members to be fully prepared for a particular subject), or it can be
the first issued addressed at the meeting. “What needs to be accomplished at
this meeting? This takes more time and the leader must be able to build
consensus, but it may be necessary depending on your situation.
Objectives are normally actions that will be
completed by the Lodge or committee. They include words like plan, develop,
determine, generate, prioritize, solve, resolve. Avoid action words that are
too vague. The most used example is discuss. “We are meeting to discuss…” Simply
discussing something at a meeting does not produce much of a result. Frustrated
participating members are a likely result.
Writing Meeting Objectives
Writing out the meeting objectives helps members understand
its purpose. When the objectives are posted where they can be seen during the
meeting, they keep the group focused. Thus, providing a printed meeting agenda
to all members is important.
Focusing a Meeting
The following are techniques to focus a meeting:
1.
Use a pre-meeting notice to communicate the meeting objectives and let
people know what to expect.
2.
Read and post the objectives at the meeting for all to see and refer to.
3.
Use the meeting agenda to let people know how the objectives will be met
4.
Start the meeting (if not a state or special communication of the Lodge)
with some kind of activity that includes everyone.
5.
Set general rules or norms for the meeting. This includes the roles
people will play, like the Master or Committee Chairman (the meeting
Facilitator). The leader (or meeting facilitator) is someone who will keep the
group on schedule and on the agenda. The Secretary (or “recorder”) will record
the results of the meeting and see that they are distributed to lodge or
committee members after the meeting.
Encouraging Participation
If it is the goal to promote collaboration and sharing of
knowledge and experience, the following are the critical elements of encouraging
participation by members.
Verbal Techniques
Ask open-ended questions:
What is your reaction to that?
How can we improve the way…
Describe the process…
Explain the difference between
the two ideas
Thank you.
That’s a new idea
Let’s get that down…
Can you be more specific?
Can you go further into that?
What do you mean by….?
Can you give another example?
What do the rest of you think of that?
I’d like to throw the question out to the
whole group.
That relates to something Brother Joe said
earlier. Brother Joe…
Brother John, any reaction to this?
Brother Terry, we haven’t heard from you
yet; what do you think?
Your non-verbal behavior can let team members know that you
are attentive, interested, and sincere. Here are some tips for good non-verbal
techniques:
- Show attentiveness: Pay attention to the person
talking. Establish good eye contact with the speaker. Relax your posture and
turn toward the speaker. A few nods of the head to show your understanding
will encourage the speaker to continue.
- Use your voice and facial expressions. Speak clearly
and loud enough for everyone to hear. A serious deadpan face may bring down
the energy level of the room. Smile and keep a positive expression on your
face.
- Silence. Silence is a critical tool for meeting
management. Learn to pause, wait, and say nothing. It is important to pause
after asking a question. Try not to get anxious to restate your question if
you don’t get an immediate response.
Getting Consensus and Closure
What IS consensus and what is NOT?
Consensus is the point of maximum of agreement so action
can follow. Consensus is not reached by voting. A good test to see if you have
reached, consensus is to ask the question. “Can you support this decision?”
Getting to Closure
At each junction, when the members present have reached
consensus on one of the objectives, the Master or team leader should state what
the group has agreed to do and see that this is documented. When the members are
close to completing the last objective, or time is running out, the meeting
leader should state. “This is our last objective,” or “We have fifteen minutes
to conclude this discussion.” In the remaining minutes of the meeting, the
meeting leader should review what has been accomplished in the meeting and what
actions should follow.
Follow-Up to the Meeting
After the meeting is over, every Lodge or Committee member
should receive a written (paper or electronic) of the objective and outcomes of
the meeting. Included in the statement should be any action items that came from
the meeting and any areas of responsibility that will affect future actions.
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