Source: Rebekah Dorn, Director of User Experience, Information Technology Services, Florida State University
Meetings are a constant for every business, however there are many ways that these team gatherings can get off track. At times company meetings can feel tedious and time consuming, but this morning’s YP Roundtable speaker, Rebekah Dorn has a formula for keeping them tight and to the point.
Any organization can follow Rebekah’s simple guide for setting better meetings in motion. Here are a few steps to consider next time you and your team need to meet.
Set an Agenda
- It serves as the guide for the group discussion
- It identifies items that should be prepared in advance
- Including date, time, and location serves as a reference for after the meeting
- Agendas establish ground rules
- It clearly articulates the purpose of the meeting
Manage Attitudes
- Set the tone for how the group should interact
- Good attitudes set an example for all team members
- Being positive and congenial makes the meeting more efficient
- Keep sidebar conversations to a minimum without deflating their importance
Create an Action Plan
- Each agenda item should have actions laid out after the meeting
- Detail what decisions are made
- Describe the specific action needed to take place
- Identify the person responsible for the action
- Set deadlines and schedule for status updates
Rebekah Dorn is the Director of User Experience for Information Technology Services at Florida State University and has developed her theories on running great meetings through a career of watching both the good and bad versions take place in various organizations. Dorn believes that the formula for a great meeting is dependent on Agenda, Attitude, and Action Plan.
