Thirteen Reasons Not to Hold a Meeting?

Meetings can easily become addictive, so before you schedule another meeting for sake of it, check to make sure that you are not meeting for wrong reasons. Here are thirteen reasons not to hold a meeting: · When you meet for sake of meeting – same time, same place, every week. · When someone’s ego gets in way and they want to look important and in control. · When information could be communicated another way. · When key people are unavailable. · When participants don’t have time to prepare. · When your decision is made and you don’t want any input. · When your decision is controversial and is likely to create resistance. · When costs are greater than benefits. · When other issues blur decision at hand. · When subject matter is confidential. · When nothing would be gained or lost by not having a meeting. · When you have nothing else to do and want to look busy. · When you want an excuse to get out of office. Eight Common Meeting Substitutes If after careful consideration you decide that your meeting isn’t necessary, how else can you communicate your thoughts, ideas, or suggestions? Aside from telepathy and carrier pigeon, here are eight common meeting substitutes: · Arrange a telephone conference call. · Write a memo (no longer than a page). · Write a brief report. · Fax your information. · E-mail your information. · Post information on your company’s intranet. · Arrange a series of one-on-one discussions. · Do breakfast, lunch or dinner, especially when you want to get to know other person better.

What Makes an Effective Meeting?

As I mentioned before, meeting for sake of meeting is a waste of time and likely to be totally ineffectual. In addition to planning and preparation of any meeting, an important aspect of what makes a meeting effective, will depend on perception of participants.

A person’s perception is their reality, which means that however well chairperson feels about meeting, isn’t necessarily how participants feel. In fact, some opinions may well be formed several days or weeks afterwards, especially, in case of actions taken, or not taken, as a result of decisions made at meeting.

With this in mind let’s address some of positive feelings people experience that help label a meeting as effective. Here are ten common areas:

1. When participants can share and participate openly. 2. When wacky/creative ideas are given airtime. 3. When participants are an integral part of decision-making process. 4. When participants feel good about agreed decisions. 5. When decisions are high quality and will advance a project. 6. When participants see actions taken as a result of decisions agreed upon. 7. When meeting begins and ends on time. 8. When all agenda items are covered. 9. When no one participant is allowed to dominate. 10. When participants feel united as a group.

What Makes an Ineffective Meeting?

Since we’ve taken time to list positive aspects, it’s only right to complete picture and look at some of negative perceptions and opinions. Here are ten common areas:

1. When a meeting is called because it’s been a while since previous meeting. 2. When a meeting is called just to find out what projects people are working on. 3. When a meeting takes up more time than necessary. 4. When one participant is allowed to dominate entire meeting. 5. When meeting is a one-way dialogue. 6. When there is no completion and items discussed are left hanging with no action plan. 7. When meeting facilitator allows discussion to ramble on into unrelated topics. 8. When wacky/creative ideas are dismissed without a second thought. 9. When meeting includes discussion points that aren’t relevant to people present. 10. When to many people attend and group effectiveness diminishes.

Gift Shop discovers new revenue A hospital gift shop discovered a new source of revenue. Instead of treating customer phone orders (phone calls coming into gift shop to order flowers for patients in hospital) as an accommodation service, they used these phone orders as a sales opportunity. They offered caller a broad variety of gifts rather than traditional vase of flowers. Customers were delighted with personalized options; patients were happy with gifts they received and gift shop doubled their average phone purchase. By looking at their current operations from a different perspective, they were able to create a profitable niche for one part of their business. What potential niches lie waiting in your business? If you want to learn more about niche building process, you will want to read my free report, “The Power of Niche Building for Your Small Business”. Just click “reply” to this email or send me an email at Al@hanzal.com and on subject line, put “Free Niche Building Report”. I will send you free report. Next month, we will explore deeper into niche building model.

Copyright Al Hanzal, 2004 All Rights Reserved

Hanzal Enterprises, Inc. 4191 Granite Court Eagan, Minnesota 55123 651-495-3340

For other powerful small business tools that you can use easily, quickly and affordably to improve your small business profits, click How To Make Profits in Touch Economic Times on my website