Stages of an Effective Meeting

Finding Solutions to Specific Problems During a Meeting

© Hanish Babu

Mar 12, 2009

Each stage of a meeting has specific goals to achieve. The chairperson and members should have these objectives in mind throughout the meeting.

The following are the functional stages of an effective meeting:

Effective Meeting: Studying a Specific Problem

• Studying a specific problem involves looking at the problem from different points of view
• The first step is to define the problem: What is it? What are the far reaching effects of the problem on the organizations.
• Analyze the data available and see what the group can learn from it.
• Look at the problem using intuition: let the gut feeling prevail.
• Look at the negative aspects of the problem. Will it work? If not, why?
• Now look at the problem in a positive light: what are the benefits? How can it be used to benefit the organization?
• Are there better ways to deal with the problem?
• The chairperson should control the whole problem analysis exercise by alternating between different points of view as described above.

Effective Meeting Solutions: Generating Alternatives

• List the problems one by one.
• Brainstorm the members for solutions. Tell the members to come out with asolution that comes into their minds. No discussions, no criticisms. The secretary should tabulate the ideas on a white board.

Effective Meeting Solutions: Evaluating the Alternatives

• Once the ideas from members are recorded, analyze the pros and cons for each.
• Make a list of ideas that could be considered.
• Can these be improvised or bettered?

Effective Meeting: Making Decisions and Considering the Outcome

• Select the best solutions offered by the members.
• How to best adapt these to suit the organization’s needs.
• What could be the outcome of the actions planned?

Helpful Hints for a Successful Meeting

• Prepared speeches should not be allowed in a decision making meeting. They may not match the mood, they cannot take into account speeches made earlier, they may repeat points already made and fail to reply to points already made.
• Visual aids should be used as aids only, not as propaganda. All visual aids need be updated. It is unnerving to see out of date facts and figures projected and explained.
• All participants should realize that they are supposed to contribute something creative to the meeting; otherwise they will not be there in the first place!
• All members should arrive in time. It is discourteous to other members not to do so. Remember everyone’s time is precious.
• There should be no private discussions during the meeting. If anything is not understood, raise your hand and ask for clarification.
• Participants should abide by majority decisions and cooperate to carry out the decisions.
• Chairperson should break the ice by asking each member (in a small group) to provide his overview of the problem, taking a minute each.
• If grouping is required to form an action team, select members at random; the risk of getting inactive persons in the same group is remote.
• After every 90 minutes productivity starts to fade; give a break.
• Like the start of the meeting, ending time should also be as planned.

After the meeting, action has to be initiated to produce the minutes and reports of the meeting; pay bill and the speaker; prepare a report to any sponsors and send letters of appreciation.

Further Reading

• Features of a Successful Meeting
• How to Conduct a Successful Meeting
• How to Chair Meetings Effectively

Stages of Meeting: Specific Goals to Achieve.

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