Q. We try to run good meetings, but seem to run into one problem after another. Do you have a handy list we can use to tackle the toughest problems?

A. Yes—I call it the Twelve Meetings Headaches:

No agenda

Ask for one before you agree to attend.

Develop one yourself, and circulate ahead of time for buy-in. Include:

• Purpose

• Key discussion items

• Key people needed

• Timetable

Review the agenda at the start, and refer to it frequently. Stay on track.

Agenda Isn’t Followed

Re-focus topic with a process check. Ask: “Is this relevant to the agenda item?”

Hold frequent process checks to confirm meeting is on target.

Ask facilitator to re-focus meeting: “John—we seem to be off focus; would you mind getting us back on track?”

Lengthy Meetings

Limit every meeting to 50-minute blocks of time ( Leave 10 minutes to answer messages, get to next meeting, etc.)

Limit number of people attending

5-8 is ideal

12 maximum

Limit speaker times in advance.

Two 45-minute blocks are better than one 90-minute block.

Too Many Agendas

Focus on only enough topics the group can handle well at that meeting.

Get advance buy-in from meeting participants for each agenda item.

Use start/stop times and stay with them.

Facilitator, timekeeper, and scribe must act as a team of three to keep topics focused.

Few Concrete Results

Get buy-in for meeting goals—before the meeting—and confirm them during the meeting.

Scribe should summarize key points and action steps visually on a flip chart.

Facilitator asks for commitment action items at end of each topic:

What must be done

Who will do it

When the action steps are due

Follow-up on each item at next meeting.

Meetings Are Difficult to Schedule

Send an e-mail to all participants with options for meeting times. Set a deadline for response.

Ask participants to e-mail you with their open times, dates.

Hold a conference phone call to coordinate times.

Set a regular time for the meeting — or for meetings in general.

Ask everyone to make their schedules available on the computer. You can buy software programs sort out availability times.

Some People Dominate the Meeting

Sometimes you have to deal with this directly, because dominators often aren’t sensitive to subtle suggestions:

Acknowledge the person’s good ideas, enthusiasm, etc., then immediately involve someone else.

Thank the person, then say you’d like to hear what others have to say.

Chronic problem: talk to the person off-line.

For gate-closers: Say, “(Name), please hold it a second — Mary was making her point. When she finishes, I’ll get back to you.”

Too Many Interruptions

Turn off pagers and cellular phones.

Get commitment to no messages or interruptions, unless critical (i.e. medical emergency).

Facilitator, scribe, timekeeper work as a team to keep topic focused.

Participants Arrive Late

Build a reputation for prompt starts.

Don’t stop the meeting to update latecomers.

During a break, or after the session, ask the person why he/she was late.

Point out the impact of the tardiness and request more promptness.

Talk about promptness with the whole group. Get commitment to start on time and how to deal with latecomers.

Begin the meeting on the hour, and stop 10 minutes before the hour. For longer meetings — use the 10 minutes as a break to check phone messages, use restrooms, etc.

For chronic latecomers, consider silence: pause, look at person until he or she gets settled, then pick up discussion.

Too Many Meetings

Invite only people who can really contribute.

Meetings are vital. But share information other ways, too:

Telephone calls

Round-robin memos

E-mail

Informal conversation

Voice message

Electronic bulletin board message

News briefing (short newsletter)

Don’t meet unless an agenda and a process is in place, run by three-person team:

Facilitator

Scribe

Timekeeper

Participants Aren’t Prepared

Facilitator confirms that each participant is prepared in advance

Five to eight people is ideal for peak interaction. Consider smaller groups for shorter, more interactive meetings.

Circulate agenda in time for people to prepare.

Follow-up talks with those not prepared.

Disruptive Behavior

Use friendly, firm confrontations — focus on actions, not the person.

Explain impact of behavior on the group.

Suggest different, more helpful approaches.

Encourage group to share responsibility for handling difficult members.

Cue with body language: eye contact; dissatisfied glance; negative head nod; stopping in mid-sentence.

Acknowledge good behavior.

Talk privately with repeat offenders