5 Things to Do Before Every Meeting
On the one hand, meetings can help get things done. On the other hand, meetings can suck, suck away tremendous amounts of time, that is. So, how do you prevent meetings from getting out of hand and becoming ginormous wastes of time?
The key is preparation. How a meeting goes often depends on what you do before the meeting. It’s sort of like how an athlete’s success in a championship game or a singer’s performance in a musical depends on how much preparation he or she does beforehand.
You wouldn’t go into a football game wondering why so many people are trying to tackle you and what you are supposed to do with that ball-like object, would you? Similarly, why would you enter a meeting without a decent idea of what to expect?
So, before any check-in, pow-wow, meeting, conference call, Zoom-doom, or deja spew, make sure that you do the following:
1. Establish a very clear agenda for the meeting.
If you are organizing the meeting, make sure that you circulate an agenda beforehand. If you are not the organizer, make sure that there is a clear agenda and that you know it.
A meeting shouldn’t be like a Happy Hour, where you simply show up and see what happens. Never go into a meeting not knowing specifically what will be discussed. You certainly can ask the organizer politely to see a clear agenda before the meeting. After all, if someone asked you to show up in a dark alley without much explanation, would you go?
2. Have clear goals for the meeting including a list of what the meeting will accomplish.
The agenda for the meeting shouldn’t be something like:
- Talk
- Talk some more.
- Summarize what we talked about.
- Schedule the next meeting.
Instead, it should include a list of specific things that you hope to accomplish by the end of the meeting. These goals should be as specific and as concrete as possible and not simply something like “Discuss XYZ.” Remember vague goals can lead to vague outcomes; concrete goals, concrete outcomes.
3. Know who will participate in the meeting.
Who attends the meeting will determine what will be discussed and accomplished. There’s a big difference between a meeting full of koalas and a meeting full of Matt Damons, even though both may be adorable. You have a right to know who will be at the table beforehand.
This can help you better prepare for a meeting and prevent an ambush meeting from occurring. In ambush meetings, the organizer brings surprise participants or topics with the goal of catching you off guard. Knowing the names of the meeting participants is not enough. Know who they are and what their roles might be in the meeting.
4. Do your homework, know your role, and come prepared.
When you look at the meeting agenda and see an entry like “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious to be discussed,” don’t just assume that you will learn what the heck that means during the meeting. Instead, do your homework. Make sure that you understand each topic as much as you can by the time you arrive at the meeting.
Additionally, you should know exactly what role you will be playing in the meeting. Are you expected to lead the meeting? Or are you supposed to simply be the note-taker? Is it your responsibility to say, “I want the truth!” Or perhaps you are the one who needs to respond, “You can’t handle the truth!”
Maybe your role is to be the plucky sidekick who is supposed to say, “I’m the wind beneath your wings,” now and then. Regardless, you should be prepared to do what you are supposed to do.
5. Bring relevant materials.
You wouldn’t show up to a fruitcake potluck without a fruitcake, would you? Similarly, if a document will be discussed during the meeting, bring a copy of the document with you and be familiar with what’s in the document.
Finally, be prepared to listen throughout the meeting and remain engaged. Don’t go into the meeting thinking that it’s an opportunity to catch up on emails, scroll through social media, or do other work.
If a meeting is not going to be useful, then it’s better to not be there or even have the meeting in the first place. As Yoda once said, “Do. Or do not. There is no try.”