So, how do you definitively put an end to meetings that no one wants to attend anymore?
Here are 6 'worst-case scenarios' to avoid, and our tips for replacing them with useful, effective, and motivating meetings.
1. The mountain that gave birth to a mouse.
The meeting was convened to address a generic theme: for example, the new European regulation affecting our sector.
People talk a lot and for a long time, everyone gives their more or less informed opinion, but no decision is made, no action is taken. The key information could have been transmitted before the meeting, and that would have been more effective. After a while, many wonder why they are there. Moreover, no one really knows what the expected outcome was. That's the problem.
Our advice:
Always set one or more concrete and precise objective(s) for your meeting, for example: prepare or validate a decision, define an action plan, take stock of a project, collectively inform about a decision, or share best practices internally, etc. The meeting will be successful if you and the participants have made tangible progress on your topic by the time it ends.
2. The all-out brawl (like a showdown at the OK Corral).
Sometimes, a topic discussed during a meeting can provoke conflicting reactions. While expressing different points of view is generally desirable, and often leads to the best solutions, it can become quite burdensome when it turns into a heated debate or even a head-on confrontation. Poorly facilitated and unstructured, the debate can drag on or become confrontational, with the risk that everyone ultimately sticks to their positions and tension solidifies, making the meeting completely unproductive.
Our advice:
Take note of objections without necessarily addressing them all immediately or reacting impulsively. If a point of agreement cannot be quickly found, do not let a debate develop between opposing positions, and continue with the agenda. Simply define when and how the issue will be resolved.
3. The 'one-man show'.
Does this sound familiar? It's the kind of meeting where attendees are treated as mere spectators, conducted in a top-down fashion in front of passive, if not captive, listeners.
While the facilitator is certainly very happy to have an audience to admire their talents or applaud their ideas, they are nevertheless depriving themselves of the richness of the team's contributions on their subject, or the relevance of the feedback on the project they are presenting... And that is rarely a good idea!
Our advice:
A meeting is neither a lecture nor a presentation! It's a collective working session to which all participants have been invited to be active contributors. Invite all relevant and/or competent individuals, and encourage active and balanced participation from everyone towards a goal known and understood by all. Even when it's a "presentation", plan for interactions with your audience to encourage participants to project themselves into action and implement the shared elements.
4. The never-ending loop (like the movie "Groundhog Day")
This is the (far too) routine meeting. It always takes place at the same frequency (every month, every week, etc.), at the same time, with the same people, and its format never changes. A typical example: first, the month's figures are presented, then the next month's objectives, and finally, a round-table discussion on the 'status of current actions.' The risk with this type of meeting is that after a while, you don't really know what it's for anymore, and above all, it's incredibly boring! As a result, everyone tries to find the best excuse to avoid it, and for those who remain, it's a chore...
Our advice:
It is sometimes useful to schedule "regular" meetings, a weekly check-in for example. In this case, favor a short format with dynamic content and highly interactive.
For all other scenarios, always ask yourself what format and facilitation method will be most effective for the meeting to produce what you expect, and “vary the pleasures” (metaplan workshop, brainstorming, world café, etc.)!
5. The parenthesis that goes on forever
Sometimes, during a meeting, one of the participants addresses the group about a situation specific to them, or the facilitator focuses on a point that concerns only a minority of them. If this digression goes on for too long, it can generate several negative effects: either the other participants intervene without being asked, positioning themselves as 'judges' or 'arbitrators' of their colleagues on a subject that is not their responsibility; or, not being concerned, they lose their attention for a long time, and good luck getting them back on track with the rest of the agenda! Not only is the particular case not dealt with in good conditions, but it is a real waste of time for the whole group.
Our advice:
In meetings, if there are multiple topics to cover, use the following guideline: "to be invited, each participant must be interested in at least 70% of the topics discussed during the meeting, and to be put on the agenda, each topic to be discussed must concern at least 70% of the participants invited." Specific cases and subsidiary topics raised during the meeting should be noted for later discussion in an appropriate setting.
6. Absence makes the heart grow fonder
A subject is being addressed that concerns several departments with a direct impact on the activity of each. However, not all were invited to the meeting, or the meeting was held despite the impossibility for some invitees to be present on that date. As a result, no decision can be firmly validated, or the decisions will go against the wishes of those absent, and/or it will be necessary to spend more time providing a detailed report to those absent after the meeting, in compensation. It's a double whammy for everyone!
Our advice:
Only organize a meeting if it is useful and necessary, and when it is, ensure it's effective: choose the right format, the right timing, and ensure the presence of all individuals whose contribution is necessary. When it's difficult to gather everyone, prioritize document sharing and online collaborative solutions to move topics forward, rather than multiplying meetings and email exchanges within a small group.
By avoiding these 6 most frequent "disaster scenarios" (we could add others, such as "The clandestine", who improvise in groups of three in a corner of the office and disturb all members of the open space in the process! 😉 ), you will restore your meetings to their true purpose: to be a space for sharing ideas and an effective and useful collaborative work time, in which "the productivity of the whole represents more than that of the sum of the parts." And your employees will rediscover the pleasure of participating!
Did you know that 95% of your success is linked to your state of mind? To learn how to manage your emotional load more effectively, discover the Triad method in this webinar:
