Have you ever wondered whether that guy upstairs is Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert? I certainly have. He seems to have the inside track on the same insane bureaucracy that we have to deal with every day. Like this:
You know what it’s like: You’re in the zone, making real progress, when Outlook reminds you to attend a meeting in the next 10 minutes. Let alone being unprepared, you had forgotten the meeting altogether. And your thoughts are all over the place. “No worries,” you tell yourself, “I’ll find the furthest corner of the room and hope that nobody asks me a question.” What a waste of time and money.
A meeting is a scheduled event of three or more people lasting 30 or more minutes, which may or may not be held in a dedicated meeting venue.
Which aspects characterize ‘bad’ meetings?
- Meetings that are not with either the team, stakeholders,or market representatives.
- Having observers, rather than participants, present. Everyone who attends a meeting should be aware of the role they are expected to play.
- No clear output for the meeting is defined.
- Big meetings (many participants).
- Long meetings.
- Lack of preparation by attendees.
- Poor time management (starting late and not containing discussions).
- Filling the allocated time instead of adjourning once the objectives have been reached.
These types of meetings could waste time and money if you’re not careful:
- Routine or regular meetings. These can often become meetings for their own sake. Regular meetings should be held up to the same scrutiny as any other meeting to ensure they are still productive.
- Workshops. These can often turn into long unproductive meetings, yet can also be invaluable if the right people meet with clearly defined decisions to reach.
When organizing a meeting include these three points in your meeting request:
1. Roles. The roles that each of the attendees is expected to play.
2. Questions. What questions need to be answered.
3. Outcomes. What outcomes are required from meeting together.
