Mastering the Art of Planning, Leading, and Participating in Effective Meetings Workshop

In our dynamic environment, where collaboration is key to meeting our goals as individuals, a library, and a university, mastering the art of planning and leading effective meetings is essential. This workshop is tailored specifically for ODU Libraries professionals to equip them with strategies to foster collaboration by optimizing meetings, making them more efficient, engaging, and outcome oriented.

We'll review the Core Competencies of Effective Meetings and discuss how they apply in our workplace, and what techniques we can implement:
1. Know the meeting’s purpose and desired outcome.
2. Structure meetings to achieve the desired outcome.
3. Respect the time invested.
4. Structure meetings for engagement.
5. Take visible notes.
6. Publish meeting records where everyone can find them.

1. Mastering the Art of Planning, Leading, and Participating in Effective Meetings Lucy wittkower & Tim hackman Old Dominion university libraries Summer 2024

2. Workshop Summary In our dynamic environment, where collaboration is key to meeting our goals as individuals, a library, and a university, mastering the art of planning and leading effective meetings is essential. This workshop is tailored specifically for ODU Libraries professionals to equip them with strategies to foster collaboration by optimizing meetings, making them more efficient, engaging, and outcome oriented. 

3. Workshop Agenda How Effective Are Meetings? Planning Effective Meetings Leading Effective Meetings Participating in Effective Meetings Meeting Assessments Wrap Up Discussion & Next Steps

4. During the past month, I have attended meetings that were: Extremely effective Effective Somewhat effective A terrible waste of time ThePhoto by PhotoAuthor is licensed under CCYYSA.

5. It’s not just your imagination https://ideas.ted.com/the-economic-impact-of-bad-meetings/

6. Planning Effective Meetings What is the desired outcome? What kind of meeting do we need for the outcome we want? Who needs to be there? Setting the agenda https://ideas.ted.com/should-you-call-that-meeting/  

7. Why do we meet? We meet to quickly create shared perspective in a group.

8. Core Competencies of High Performing Meetings Know the meeting’s purpose and desired outcome. Structure meetings to achieve the desired outcome. Respect the time invested. Structure meetings for engagement. Take visible notes. Publish meeting records where everyone can find them.

9. When should we meet? Keith, J.E. Where the Action Is. p. 21-23

10. What kind of meeting do we need? Cadence Meetings Team Cadence Progress Check One-on-One Action Review Governance Team meeting, Daily huddle Project status updates Manager 1:1, Mentoring After-action debrief Assembly meetings Catalyst Meetings Idea Generation Planning Workshops Problem Solving Decision Making Brainstorming Project or event planning Team building Incident debrief Candidate selection, Policy Learn & Influence Meetings Sensemaking Community of Practice Training Broadcasts Introductions Issue Resolution Investigations, User testing Meetups, Safety committee Skills certification, Onboarding All hands, Webinars Interviews, Sales calls Negotiation, Dispute resolution Source: LucidMeetings.com Congenial Formal Intense

11. Who needs to be there? The fewer the better Determined by desired outcome of the meeting and individual’s role: Probably Yes: Decision makers Subject matter experts Probably No: Just to represent a constituency – gather feedback before Just for situational awareness – send minutes after

12. Setting the Agenda for an Effective Meeting   Try phrasing topics as questions For example: “How do we reduce spending by $100,000 in FY25” instead of “Budget Problems”   Design topic questions that are specific and challenging   Collaborate to identify the most important questions; put those first on the agenda   Can’t think of a question to answer? You might not need a meeting   Consider how long you anticipate the discussion of each item. Do you think you will get through the whole agenda in the time that you have?    Share the agenda in advance, if you expect team members to prepare or do anything in advance, give them adequate notice Send reminders of previous action-items in advance   Execute the agenda – think about tactics to facilitate inclusivity, the best discussion, and to meet the goals of the meeting   Provide updates during meetings sparingly, if at all. (Use email instead.)

13. Leading Effective Meetings

14. Leading Effective Meetings The effective meeting: Begins by focusing the group on the objective Brings everyone into the conversation to find the shared perspective Invites productive conflict about ideas Ends with a clear and focused review of the results Establish ground rules for meetings Be clear about participant roles & expectations Record outcomes, assignments, and timelines Take minutes publicly during; share minutes widely after

15. https://www.stevenrogelberg.com/the-good-meeting-facilitation-checklist

16. Strategies to Create Opportunities for Everyone to Participate Include members in agenda-setting, leading discussions, and sharing information Goal-related icebreakers Wait time Strategies for group brainstorming Conversation prompts Give opportunities to respond in writing (Google Docs, Whiteboard, etc.) Share links so people can add to it later when they think of things ThePhoto by PhotoAuthor is licensed under CCYYSA.

17. Participating in Effective Meetings Know and follow the meeting ground rules   Show up on time   Be prepared   Be present Contribute to the meeting goals   Listen to understand. Remember, W.A.I.T.   Get to the point. Use the “parking lot.”   Understand decisions and action items and follow up as assigned

18. Assessing Meetings for Effectiveness Leader reflection: Were the objectives for the meeting accomplished? Why or why not? Share minutes and ask for input from team members Productivity check-in: Is the committee making progress over time toward long-term goals? Survey participants occasionally and make adjustments where needed Many tools and checklist templates available online!

19. Wrap Up & Discussion Choose one strategy you’ll try for your own meetings. Choose one strategy we should look at adopting across the Libraries. What additional resources or training do we need?

20. Further Reading Death by Meeting: A Leadership Fable, by Patrick Lencioni. Jossey-Bass, 2004. The Good Meeting Facilitation Checklist , Steven G. Rogelberg , stevengrogelberg.com. How to Create the Perfect Meeting Agenda , Steven G. Rogelberg , Harvard Business Review , February 2020. How to stop the same people from doing all the talking and other strategies to keep your meetings on  track , Madeleine de Hauke, Ideas.Ted.com, April 2021 Meeting Quality Assessment , Steven G. Rogelberg , stevengrogelberg.com. Nice White Meetings: Unpacking Absurd Library Bureaucracy Through A Critical Race Theory Lens. Lalitha Nataraj et al.  Canadian Journal of Academic Librarianship, 6, 1-15.  The Surprising Science Behind Successful remote Meetings , Steven G. Rogelberg , MIT Sloan Management Review , May 2020. The Taxonomy of Business Meetings , by Lucid: The Meeting Innovation Company, Lucidmeeting.com. Where the Action Is: The Meetings That Make or Break Your Organization , J. Elise Keith. Second Rise, 2018. Why Your Meetings Stink – and What to Do About It , Steven G. Rogelberg , Harvard Business Review , February 2019.