In my 15 years of teaching career I have been witness to innumerable meetings. Meetings taken by my Heads, meetings by Board , meeting by Committee or associations. For the past few years I have been conducting meetings also with varied set of people.
If I were to do the Math :
Time spent at meeting x no. people x hourly income of staff member = Lakh of rupees
I feel we have all wasted huge amount of the institution as many of the meetings was a one dimensional flow involving noting of instructions which could easily have been mailed. Personally my presence did not matter, I was invited there to just nod at given intervals.
I realized the value of good meetings when I went through the book, 'Meeting Wise' by Dr. Elizabeth City and Kathryn Parker Boudett. It opened doors as suddenly meetings took on a scientific approach of purpose, process, preparation and pacing.
It could create platforms of engaged discussions, acceptance of varied perspectives, flow of innovative ideas, resolution of conundrums and so much more.
To make the meeting a rightly learning centre, you needed to ensure that the agenda was mailed way in advance which incorporated the time, venue, name of facilitator, note keeper, timekeeper. It needed to have a clear defined set of objectives; preparation desired by participants, linkage to prior meetings, the time schedule laid out clearly for each objective keeping a buffer time of 10 minutes. It should give platform for participants to offer suggestions and feedback. Finally, it needed a closure exhibiting linkage to future meetings.
As every important operation had checklist, the meeting should also have checklist which is readily available on the Harvard website http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic1401741.files/Meeting%20Wise%20Checklist.pdf
I personally have made an attempt to refer to the checklist while creating my agenda and executing the meetings so that there is genuine takeaway for all. I have attached a copy of my agenda based on the checklist for reference. Please feel free to offer feedback on ways to improve.
I hope in future you do take note of the same and create dynamic learning spaces within your institutions.
If I were to do the Math :
Time spent at meeting x no. people x hourly income of staff member = Lakh of rupees
I feel we have all wasted huge amount of the institution as many of the meetings was a one dimensional flow involving noting of instructions which could easily have been mailed. Personally my presence did not matter, I was invited there to just nod at given intervals.
I realized the value of good meetings when I went through the book, 'Meeting Wise' by Dr. Elizabeth City and Kathryn Parker Boudett. It opened doors as suddenly meetings took on a scientific approach of purpose, process, preparation and pacing.
It could create platforms of engaged discussions, acceptance of varied perspectives, flow of innovative ideas, resolution of conundrums and so much more.
To make the meeting a rightly learning centre, you needed to ensure that the agenda was mailed way in advance which incorporated the time, venue, name of facilitator, note keeper, timekeeper. It needed to have a clear defined set of objectives; preparation desired by participants, linkage to prior meetings, the time schedule laid out clearly for each objective keeping a buffer time of 10 minutes. It should give platform for participants to offer suggestions and feedback. Finally, it needed a closure exhibiting linkage to future meetings.
As every important operation had checklist, the meeting should also have checklist which is readily available on the Harvard website http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic1401741.files/Meeting%20Wise%20Checklist.pdf
I personally have made an attempt to refer to the checklist while creating my agenda and executing the meetings so that there is genuine takeaway for all. I have attached a copy of my agenda based on the checklist for reference. Please feel free to offer feedback on ways to improve.
I hope in future you do take note of the same and create dynamic learning spaces within your institutions.
Meeting for Annual Day
celebrations
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Date: 03/10/2016 Time: 3:15 to 5:00 pm
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Venue:
S5 classroom
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Facilitator:
Kavita [Main] / Carol
Note
taker: Reshma
Timekeeper:
Mahesh
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Meeting
objective:
1. to review the past year’s Annual day celebration
2. To create strategies to overcome the
shortcomings
3. To
decide on this year’s annual day theme
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Preparation:
Please
mail the below by 30/10/2016
1. The strengths and shortcomings of the past
years celebration
2. Your suggested theme for the current year
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Time
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Activity
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3:15 to 3:20 pm
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Welcome
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Kavita
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3:20 – 3:30 pm
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Mention the compiled strengths and
shortcomings of previous year’s program
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Carol
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3:30 – 3:50 pm
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Discussion on strategies to improve the
upcoming program
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Kavita
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3:30 – 3:35 break in groups of 4
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3:35 – 3:50 – To brainstorm on strategies
for overcoming shortcomings
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3:50 – 4:10 pm
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To review the strategies through
constructive criticism and noting down best workable ideas
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Kavita
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4:10 – 4:20 pm
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To mention the suggested themes for current
Annual Day
[shortlisted
to 4 to 5 prior the meeting on basis of past year repetition, novelty, available
resources]
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Carol
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4:20 – 4:40 pm
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To brainstorm on the feasibility of each
theme in same groups
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Kavita
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4:40 – 4:50 pm
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To arrive at decision on the current year
theme through open discussion
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Kavita
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4:40 – 5:00 pm
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Closing – Reflect on how the meeting went
and suggest changes for next meeting and decide date for further planning.
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Kavita
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A meeting at its end should have value for all. The first value in terms of man hour has already been mentioned by you. Second value is about empowerment. If the meeting empowers someone to take decisions which doesn't further consume your man hour, then that too adds the value. In order to add value, remember that meetings should be owned. If you call the meeting, u need to own it and not let anyone hijack. You control what you say and others should only listen. It should be only the last 10 minutes where others agree to twh conclusion. If people are empowered, meetings will never be required. Meetings should plainly be assessment of past and planning of future and these both should be done by the owner of the meeting that too in 15 minutes.
ReplyDeleteRightly said that meetings should have a pre planned agenda and the objective of the meeting should be clear to all.
ReplyDeleteBut that's not possible at all times. Meetings are of various types like Pre-planned which can have the attributes suggested by you.
Some meetings can be in case of emergency in which the agenda may not be known to all .
But ,the objective of any type of meeting should be clear to all the participants by the end of the meeting.In this lies the success of the meeting.
If it could have been measurable it would have given more impact ! try to give a measuring parameter .
ReplyDeleteIf it could have been measurable it would have given more impact ! try to give a measuring parameter .
ReplyDelete