How to Decide If a Meeting Is Really Necessary

Are you lonely? Tired of working on your own? Do you hate making decisions? Then hold a meeting! I saw this caption on a cartoon about meetings and it truly made me laugh out loud!

 Seriously though, I have gone to some meetings where I believed I was alternately at the theatre, in a shark-infested swimming pool or at the circus, all in the space of 45 minutes. Chances are these meetings would have been called for the same purpose as the ones mentioned in the advertisement above.

A lot of meetings are called and run on the basis that everybody knows what the goal of the meeting is. Don't assume that this is the case or that everybody at the meeting all share a common purpose or that everyone thinks the meeting is necessary.

So how do we plan a meeting that is necessary and achieves its objectives? Here  are 5 tips.

Recognise the problem with meetings:

• Too many and not sufficiently productive
• Too long and boring
• Technology has not decreased the need for meetings as promised. As a matter of fact it has increased the need.

Remember that the purpose of a meeting is not always obvious

Some of the "hidden" purposes that attendees might have could include:

To get noticed- where else are you given the opportunity to stand up and present in front of senior staff?

To exhibit dominance- it isn't anything against you personally, they  just can't help demonstrating their superiority by talking everyone down.

To push through their own ideas- by hijacking the meeting or using coercive techniques

To demonstrate the importance of their ideas- by pushing the ideas of others down

 To play games- such as setting one party off against the other

To promote their own creativity- by describing a problem, and then magically appearing to solve the problem themselves.

Determine the real purpose or objective of the meeting

The best way to decide if a meeting is really necessary is to determine the purpose or objective(s) for the meeting. How often do you attend a meeting with a clear idea of what you hope to achieve, what decision should be made or what problem will be solved?

This is not the same as a general perception of what the meeting is about. So especially of you are calling the meeting, write down the purpose first.

Decide if a meeting is the best way to achieve your objectives

A good way to do this is to count the cost of meeting. Costs to be identified include:

Costs of overruns. Most meetings seldom last for the schedule time.

Preparation and follow-up. In terms of time, this usually takes three - five times the scheduled duration of the meeting.

Overhead and administration. Includes venue, equipment, stationery, copies of documents, rapporteur, secretary.

Travel costs. Includes non-productive time.

Opportunity costs. Quantifies the cost of those tasks that are being delayed while you are in the meeting.

Then ask yourself if a meeting is the best approach to accomplishing the tasks at hand

Deciding to hold a meeting should not be an arbitrary decision but one where the advantages and disadvantages have been carefully considered. You may decide that individual phone calls, a conference call, email, or a computer-based conference is a better solution.

When others know that you respect their time and call meetings only when absolutely necessary, they will attribute a greater sense of importance to your meetings and attend with the right attitude.

You now have 5 tips to consider when you plan your next meeting.

Next, discover even more tips to help you plan your meetings better. I have helped thousands of other people just like you, I can help you too. Take that first step, just go http://www.itds-training.com and sign in.