In my seminars on management development and leadership, I usually include a segment on how to conduct productive meetings. I have always been of the opinion that most official and obligatory meetings requiring the presence of three or more people are much like lawsuits and general surgery. Both should be avoided unless absolutely necessary.

After having taught this subject to over 2,500 middle and senior level managers, I have been impressed by the commonality of complaints about poorly run meetings. I have equally been impressed with the commonality of praises regarding well-run meetings. Here are some of the complaints that managers have stated:

• The meeting was too long;

• The subject matter was irrelevant to me;

• Someone monopolised the discussion with minutiae;

• Nothing was accomplished;

• Too much time was spent on unimportant business;

• There was no logical reason to have this meeting other than because we always have this meeting at the same time every day/week/month;

• Most of the subjects discussed could have been handled without a meeting;

• There were no doughnuts or coffee;

On the other hand, here are some of the positive comments that managers had made about some of the meetings they had attended:

• The chairman and the participants were well prepared;

• The chairman stuck to the agenda;

• It was short and to the point;

• The meeting had a specific purpose and its objective was achieved;

• Only topics of interest and relevance to the participants were discussed;

• The meeting was called only when something had to be decided or discussed;

• There were plenty of doughnuts, coffee and soda available;

With such an unusual amount of agreement among the participants, it became relatively easy to offer some solutions for conducting more productive meetings, if you must have them. It only requires a chair that doesn’t see this meeting as an ego boost or to meet just for the sake of meeting.

First, once you have decided that there is no alternative but to hold a meeting, you must be crystal clear on the objective of the meeting. Write down on a piece of paper what you want to discuss and what you hope to achieve from the discussion. Ask yourself two basic questions: 1) what is it that I hope to achieve with this meeting, and 2) what would be the consequence of not holding this meeting. More than a few of the managers in my seminars have indicated that the weekly manager’s meeting or the division head’s meetings are the most frequently abused time wasters. They usually exist out of habit or tradition and often fail to justify their existence. Because they do occur every week, the participants settle into the same routine with little thought to the content or conduct of the meeting.

Second, prepare a logical sequence of items to discuss, and place a time limit on each item. This sequence is usually called an agenda, but you must be careful that it does not become just a crib sheet for the chairman. It is a detailed brief from which all others work. It will define the subject area, the amount of time allowed for the discussion, and the objective of the discussion. It can also list the major topics in the subject area that are relevant to the objective. Keep in mind that the amount of time spent on a subject should be determined by its importance, not its urgency.

Third, invite only those people who can contribute to the objectives of the discussion. Let them know as far in advance as possible what is being discussed, why it is being discussed and what you hope to achieve from the discussion. As chairman of the meeting, you must anticipate the needs of the participants as well as their own time constraints and ensure that they are met. You must also inform the people precisely what they are expected to contribute.

Fourth, insure that the meeting is formally structured and controlled. Since we are not talking about a free-wheeling, brain storming type of meeting where just about anything goes, a good chair will allow the discussion to follow five basic steps:

• State the proposition(s) clearly and concisely in terms that everyone will understand;

• Produce the information that is relevant to the subject;

• Have structured discussions about what the information proves;

• Come to a conclusion upon which the majority is in agreement;

• Decide upon the action;

Fifth, the chair or his/her designee must summarise and record the discussion in writing. If any action is taken, include the name of the person responsible and the time frame within which the action is to be completed. Ensure that all participants receive a copy of this report.

Finally, when all these steps are taken and you still find yourself bogged down by trivial items, consider the advice given by Robert Townsend, the late chairman of Avis Rent-A-Car and author of “Up The Organisation” on how to keep meetings on schedule and to the point. He suggests that you have all of the participants stand up for the duration!

Professor K.W. Moore is an Associate Consultant at FHRD