#62 let's get together

I led a meeting today that had about 40 people from across campus in attendance.  We went through a rather robust agenda with the purpose of sharing information about the myriad of activities that occur in the next few weeks.  Inevitably, we uncovered some loose ends and unresolved details; those were referred to the affected parties to resolve and report back.  By Friday, we will have compiled a master list of reference data to aid everyone on campus in assisting our students when they return.  

Some people hate meetings; I am not in that crowd.  For me, meetings are one of the most productive tools around.  In the span of an hour, I accomplished more to improve our student experience than I would have with a flurry of emails.  I was able to generate some excitement, clarify questions on the spot, foster collaboration and even introduce some new people to the group.  Automatically I have a group of people that left their 50 minutes with me more informed than when they came and more consciously aware of how short the window is before our students return.

What makes a good meeting?  In my opinion:
-- Purpose > there was a need to call a meeting (vs. we had a meeting just because it was scheduled)
-- Preparation > an agenda was sent out in advance, allowing people to do their homework and come with meaningful input
-- Productive use of time >  we kept the meeting on task and did not use all-group time on issues that could be resolved after the meeting by just a sub-set of the group
-- Post-meeting follow up > we will record and share the outcomes of our time together

If you have the "four Ps" in place, welcome the opportunity to get together.  Amazing things can happen when people put their heads together and actually talk to each other.


-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com