Meetings are a major part of how we do business, yet we often don’t give much thought to how we conduct them or how to get the best participation from everyone involved. Often there are too many meetings with unclear objectives and inconclusive outcomes. Worse, they often bring many people together and then ask them to be passive in the process of the meeting. There are many ways that you can make your meetings more inclusive and participative. Here are 4 actions you could take:
- Set the right tone
You know when you go to meetings where your voice is valued and those where you are barely allowed to say a word. As a leader, you can decide what is the tone and experience that you want your meeting attendees to have.
How you open meetings, respond to questions and challenges, and encourage different voices to participate, will set the tone which can be positive or negative. Small changes in how you conduct meetings can make a big difference. Even meetings that are set by a very busy agenda and where you have a lot to get through can become much more effective by spending the first few minutes checking in with everyone. This may seem like a luxury if you are short on time, but in the end, it brings clarity about where everyone is and usually leads to more effective and streamlined decision-making.
2. Share the load
If you are observing a dynamic where you are doing most of the talking in meetings and everyone else is relatively passive (in listening and understanding mode), you could look at ways to share the load. For example, rotating the chair and note taker roles. Encouraging different members of staff to showcase their work. The more active your meetings are the more included your team will feel.
3. Review what works (& what doesn’t)
Meetings can become stale when we use the same format over and over without any changes. A way to avoid falling into unhelpful meeting ruts is to take a step back every few months and review the process. A simple review can bring fresh new ideas and ways of working. Ask: How are our meetings going? What could be better? Don’t be afraid to hear negative feedback, as this is the way we learn how to do things in a more innovative and creative way.
4. Celebrate success.
So many organisations are on to the next big goal, the next business target, without taking time to acknowledge what has already been achieved. This is the single biggest cause of change-fatigue; the feeling that you are in a constant state of change. It can be exhausting, stressful, and lead to burnout.
A way to stop that from happening is to take time to acknowledge and celebrate success. This might be in the form of reviews, team days with ‘look back’ sessions, or even some award ceremony where you are acknowledging key contributions and high performance. The rewards don’t need to be monetary, but some public acknowledgment can go a long way in motivating your team to continue to perform and deliver.
As you consider the meetings that you run with your team or collaborators across the organisation, look at ways you can build inclusivity into your meeting processes and see the ripple effect you will create elsewhere.