Effective Meetings

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Tail Slap is a Colony Scouter resource.

The focus of these pages is Beavers, the junior section of Scouts Canada.

Effective Meetings
by Dave Morley

These notes have been modified from a course I used to teach. This is not how to run a more effective weekly section meeting, although some principles apply. Everyone in Scouting, including section scouters, group committee, service and administrative scouters, can benefit by adopting the principles and discipline for effective meetings. It's one way of reducing your "2 hours a week".

INTENT	Effective meetings don't just happen. They are planned and conducted with sound preparation, understood methods, and specific goals in mind. The intent of this material is to provide you with additional skills for planning, conducting, and participating in effective meetings. These skills will ensure your participation in meetings is more enjoyable, productive, efficient, and effective.
OBJECTIVES	How to plan and stage a meeting.
	How to conduct (chair) a meeting.
	How to participate effectively.
	Provide additional effective meeting skills.
MEETINGS	A common responsibility all participants share is conducting and attending meetings. The effective meetings achieve their goals quickly, while others drag on endlessly and often result in setting up yet another ineffective meeting, further wasting time, and increasing frustration. The chairperson or leader is largely responsible for the outcome of the meeting. The amount of time an effort they put into the preparation for and the conducting of the meetings, will to a great degree, determine its success or failure.

AGENDA FOR REGULARLY HELD MEETINGS	Call meeting to order.
	Read minutes from previous meeting.
	Ask if any errors or emissions in the minutes.
	Accept as written.
	Old business.
	New business (follow agenda).
	Any further discussion.
	End meeting.

CHECKLIST FOR CHAIRPERSON

Have You	Yes	No
Determined that a meeting is necessary?
Determined who should attend?
Determined the objective of the meeting?
Carefully considered the proposed agenda?
Notified participants of the date, time, place, and purpose?
Provided all the necessary equipment?
Prepared your opening remarks?
Arranged for a recording secretary � if necessary?
Notified participants of any preparation?

QUESTIONS TO ASK
BEFORE THE MEETING IS ADJOURNED

	Yes	No
Have all objectives (deliverables) been met or dealt with?
Are there any issues arising out of the meeting that must be dealt with?
What group acton is required?
What action is required, by whom, by when, and to whom should it be reported?
Does everyone *CLEARLY* understand their assignment(s)?
Should anyone else be informed of anything arising out of the meeting?

REPORTING MEETING RESULTS

The results of the meeting are to be reported quickly and accurately using a format similar to below.

THE EFFECTIVE PARTICIPANT

BEFORE THE MEETING

Carefully read the notice and understand the purpose of the meeting.
Decide what preparation is required.
Prepare any materials or information that may be needed.
Prepare answers to any questions that may be asked.
Prepare a list of points that must be covered.
Prepare a list of questions that you want answered.

AT THE MEETING

Be on time.
Be an effective listener. Good preparation allows you to LISTEN to others.
Let others participate without interruption.
Jot down questions that you will want to ask.
Be flexible to other solutions, but don't accept just to avoid an argument.
Don't take strong disagreement as a personal attack.
Explain your points clearly and briefly. Don't belabour point.

AFTER THE MEETING

Complete any assignments.
Notify chairperson as required.
Inform others as required.

See if you can borrow the video, "Meetings, Bloody Meetings" from the library, a school, or perhaps where you work. Review the five stage plan for shorter, more productive meetings. Here is what you are looking for ...

STAGE 1 � PLAN

Clear your mind about the precise objectives of the meeting. Be clear why you need this meeting and list the subjects.

STAGE 2 � INFORM

Make sure everyone knows exactly what is being discussed, what you want from the discussion, and why. Anticipate what people and information may be needed and make sure they are there.

STAGE 3 � PREPARE

Prepare a logical sequence of items. Prepare the time allocation for each item based on its importance � not its urgency.

STAGE 4 � STRUCTURE AND CONTROL

Take the evidence stage, the interpretation stage, and then the action stage in sequence. Stop people from jumping ahead or going back over old ground.

STAGE 5 � SUMMARIZE

Summarize all decisions and record them straight away with the name of the person responsible for any action.

RUNNING MORE EFFECTIVE MEETINGS

To run a more effective meeting it is important to understand some of the elements of a meeting. In the following tables you see the disturbing personalities of some participants, meeting characteristics, and frequent scenarios that detract from meeting effectiveness.

In the tables you will find the CAUSES of the problem, a PREVENTIVE MEASURES to minimize the symptom for future meetings, and an ON-THE-SPOT MEASURES, immediate actions so you can take better control of the meeting you may be in.

The Silent Person

Causes

Fear of appearing inadequate or foolish.

Confused and uncertain about what is going on.

No particular interest in the issue.

A slow thinker.

Prefers to listen unless they have something very important to say.

Preventive Measures

Make certain that everyone in the group has been informed about the problem.

Create an easy, informal atmosphere to encourage individual participation. Encouragement comes from the atmosphere, not from any specific technique of singling out one person to get them to talk.

Don't invite people who are not involved in the subject being considered.

On-The-Spot Measures

Be sensitive to the silent person when he attempts to say something and doesn't have the chance. You can say something like, "John, I thought you had something you wanted to say." Do this, however, only when John has showed a need to talk.

Summarize frequently to make sure no one is lost. Continually work at creating the kind of atmosphere in which people can talk freely.

Encourage the silent member's participation by including them in a series of around-the-group direct questions. Ask the member when you are sure they can answer with ease. A "yes" or "no" question is sometimes a good one to use.

*The Side Tracker*
Causes	Misunderstanding the direction of the discussion. Not well informed on the issue. The chair has not clearly explained the problems. Preoccupied with their own problems. Wants to avoid the problem.
Preventive Measures	Be as clear as possible about the topic under discussion, and get group agreement about it. Invite only those who are interested in the problem and have something to contribute.
On-The-Spot Measures	Try to relate what has been said to the problem topic, then ask if there are any other ideas about the topic. Be patient. The group usually rises to the task of getting the discussion back on the track. Ask which of the two tracks the group wants to take.

*The Monopolizer*
Causes	Genuine enthusiasm and need to be helpful. Knowledge that others don't have. Belief that he knows all the answers. Need to maintain informal leadership. Need for an excessive amount of recognition. Antagonism toward authority or being forced into the programme. Wants to test the discussion leader. Feeling of not being understood, resulting in over-explanation.
Preventive Measures	Plan how each person's special experience and ability might be used. At the beginning of the meeting, assure the group that everyone will be encouraged to speak.
On-The-Spot Measures	Ask the person to check and see if this is what was meant, repeat what you think the idea was, and then ask if anyone has a reaction to it. Suggest that the group break into smaller units, so that more people will have a chance to participate. Review what has been going on several times during the meeting so that what is happening becomes apparent. Ask them to summarize so they are forced to draw the point to conclusion. Suggest that others give opinions on the same subject.

*Start on Time*
Causes	Unrealistic scheduling. Unexpected delay of the leader or other members. Expectation that the meeting will start late.
Preventive Measures	Choose a convenient time. Be sure the meeting is important enough to be held. Be sure that people are notified of exact starting time. Have a reputation for starting on time.
On-the-Spot Measures	At the appointed time, deliberately ask the participants what time it is, then get started. They will not only know what time it is, but will know you mean business.

*Failure to Cover Material*
Causes	Disagreement about section of material to be covered next. Some people's resistance to the material. Members' uncertainty about the exact nature of the topic. Leader's lack of preparation, and subsequent confusion. Insufficient time. Disinterest of group.
Preventive Measures	Know agenda. Know beforehand which part of the material must be covered which may be skipped. Know material well. Get agreement on what is to be done. Allow for adequate time. Choose a convenient time.
On-The-Spot Measures	Be willing to skip some material or to go along with the group is this appears more productive. Give more time for the material or postpone some of it to a later meeting.

*Side Conversations During Meeting*
Causes	Group is tired of concentrated effort. Speaker unable to get the group's attention. Subject seems unimportant, so members talk to one another about other things. Lack of acceptance of strong feelings � so the member tells their feelings to a neighbour.
Preventive Measures	Set aside periods for breaks, to give people a chance to relax and talk in small groups. Before you start, make certain that the group agrees upon the importance of the topic. Encourage the group to discuss their opinions with the whole group.
On-The-Spot Measures	Ask the group if it would like a break. Suggest group discussion as a possible way for each person to get their opinions and ideas out. Ignore them if they aren't bothering the group discussion and only last for a minute or two.

*Holding Back Contributions*
Causes	People not being certain about what is going on or what the purpose of the meeting is. Hostile feelings between members. The chair is not prepared to lead. One or two monopolize discussion.
Preventive Measures	Set up meeting place for informal and easy discussions. (See notes on preparation.) Make sure that everyone knows the purpose of the meeting. Be aware of the feelings of the group. Make sure the people present has an interest and ability in solving the meeting's problem. Have a capable and prepared chair. Chair should encourage opinions from others.
On-The-Spot Measures	Sometimes you can't force a comfortable atmosphere. It grows as the group catches your spirit of informality and freedom from pressure. Patience plus your own ease will spread to the group, as a rule. Review the purpose of the meeting and what is expected of everyone. Sometimes notices are misunderstood or you cannot cover all the problems you should discuss.

SUMMARY

Through this document we have:

Identified some basic causes of ineffective meetings.
Provided a preparation list for effective meetings.
Provided a list of chairperson's responsibilities.
Provided a meeting checklist for the chairperson.
Provided a list of questions to be asked before adjourning a meeting.
Provided a list of participant's responsibilities.
If possible, viewed the video, "Meetings, Bloody Meetings"
Reviewed the video's 5 stage plan for shorter more productive meetings.
Reviewed the participant personalities, and meeting traits and scenarios that detract from an effective meeting.

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Last updated: October 10, 1999