Operational Excellence Toolkit

Meeting Effectiveness

Meeting Effectiveness - Overview

Description: Meeting Effectiveness helps you apply techniques and strategies to plan for, facilitate and participate in more effective meetings.

Tools and Techniques Overview

Benefitso Plan and run more effective meetingso Structured approach to agendaso Continuous improvement of meetingso Gain understanding and consensus quickly and easily

What can I do? What can I use?

Work with a team to see and discuss where they are on a question/topic. Continuum, Fist or Five

Plan and run effective and efficient meetings. Meeting Etiquette, Effective Meeting Checklist, IPO

Identify behaviours that will help and / or hinder achieving the desired outputs of the meeting.

Meeting Roles, Ground Rules

Help a team learn and quickly apply the learning in real time to improve meeting efficiency and effectiveness.

After Action Review

Continuum

Low Effectiveness High Effectiveness

Ask why these people feel their meetings are effective?

What are their frustrations with meetings ?

A continuum is used to work with a team to see and discuss where they are on a question/topic.

Example: Ask the team how effective are the meetings they attend on a scale from 1-10

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Meeting EtiquetteMeeting Etiquette1. Ensure that you have responded to the meeting request2. One speaker at a time3. No multi-tasking (cell phones, laptops)4. No side-conversations5. Call people out if not respecting others6. Mute your phone

Conducting Virtual Meetings1. Speak slowly, loudly and into the speaker 2. Announce who is in each room3. Try to use video if possible 4. Keep checking to ensure everyone can hear5. Ask for comments from remote participants on each agenda item6. Describe laughter7. Ask questions then wait

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Effective Meeting Checklist Preparation

Decide on the purpose and if meeting is required

Develop the plan – who, what, where, when. Identify the meeting leader. Prepare and distribute the agenda ( IPO )

prior to the meeting.

Managing Meeting Dynamics

Use facilitators if needed Use car park for unrelated topics Recognize agreements & resolve conflicts. Encourage participation. Minimise jargon and ensure effective

communication ( paraphrasing ). Ensure meeting has a balance of advocacy

and enquiry

Beginning the Meeting

Start on time. Discuss/modify agenda ( IPO). Review previous AAR and confirm

improvements for this meeting Set meeting roles ( timekeeper, scribe,

observer...) Set ground rules if needed

Ending the Meeting

Develop action items – who, what, when, how.

Summarize the meeting. Establish the date and time of the next

meeting. Evaluate the meeting ( AAR ) End on time. Distribute notes and action items following

the meeting.

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Input-Process-Output (IPO)• Top Tips for

Success• Start by engaging

people in defining the desired outcomes

• Give some real thought to the “P” and how you will help a group achieve their desired outcomes

• IPO only works if the team actually applies it during the meeting!

• IPO (Input-Process-Output) for meetings is a structured approach to ensure meetings are effective and efficient.

• IPO follows a simple process that starts with the outcomes we want to achieve, the process that will be used to achieve them and the inputs for each process step.

• By making visible the desired outcomes and process that will be followed, IPO improves engagement in the meeting creating clarity, alignment and results.

How to create an IPO

(1) OutputsWhat is required

(2) ProcessHow will these inputs be used to create the

outputs?

(3) InputsWhat would be useful

to create these outputs?Decisions, PlansReports, Data

Example – Prioritizing Current Work Requests

OutputsConsolidated list of all work requestsPrioritization criteriaPrioritized work requests

ProcessDocument all current support requestsDevelop prioritization criteriaApply criteria to work requests

InputsIndividual listing of each work request

Example: Input-Process-Output (IPO)

Suggested Meeting Roles

Timekeeper Calls time at regular intervals

Scribe Captures actions, parking lot items

Rabbit Hole Monitor Calls conversational ‘rabbit holes’

Observer Notices and shares how team operates and behaves

Rewarder Acknowledges positive behaviours

Energy Monitor Calls breaks when needed

Herder Helps others return to meeting on time

Bridge Makes sure those on the phone are engaged

• A simple way to help teams identify the behaviours that will help and / or hinder achieving the desired outputs of the meeting.

• Ground Rules are agreed by the team at the start of the meeting to guide them on how they will work together to make them as effective as possible.

• They may cover processes, behaviours, values or attitudes that the team wants to promote and cares about.

• They provide a checklist for the observers and team members to watch out for

Examples / Tips for Success

• Start & finish on time

• All opinions are valid

• No side conversations

• Park anything not related to the agenda

• Minimize jargon

• Set phones on silent

• Close laptops

• Strong opinions, loosely held (be willing to let go if there is a better idea)

• One person speaking at a time

• Stay on topic

• Confidential issues remain in the room.

Ground Rules

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Fist or Five for Decision and Understanding

Top Tips for Success• Use fist or five regularly in your

meetings to test the extent of agreement to proposals – it’s not a ‘yes/no’ vote

• Clearly state your proposal and define what five fingers mean and what a fist means in the context of the proposal

• Only explore the issue further if someone holds up less than three fingers ; ask what it would take to get towards a 5?

• A visual tool to rapidly test and build consensus when a group needs to make a decision or choose a course of action

• A tool to ensure that the view of everyone in the group is included in the decision making

• A method to quickly assess the degree of agreement to a proposal so the team can move on, saving time-wasting circular discussions

• Use Skype poll for virtual meetings

Fist or Five Example

I vote no.

I need to talk more about the proposal and it will have to change before I agree.

I need to discuss

significant issues and

suggest changes

I’m not in total

agreement but can let

this decision pass without

further discussion

I think it’s a good

decision and I will support

it

I vote yes. Great idea! I fully

understand and

will support it

I would like to discuss

some minor issues

Ask: What will move you to a 3 or higher?

After Action Review • Key purpose is to help a team learn

and quickly apply the learning in real time to improve current performance.

• A quick and simple team learning process held while work is being performed, usually during a break in a process, activity or task.

• Intended to help teams “learn in the moment” as opposed to learning after a major project or activity has been completed.

• Designed to quickly identify lessons and immediate actions for the team and individuals and to build relationships, trust and confidence among team members.

Top Tips for Success

• Plan for an After Action Review immediately after a natural break in any work activity.

• It should not appear as add-on or extra work.

• Works best when there is a commitment to open discussion.

• Facilitator should ensure blame is not brought into the process.

• Only those involved in the event participate; no spectators.

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After Action Review

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• Learn from your experience in order to increase individual & team performance as part of continuous improvement.

1. What went well?

2. What could be improved and how?

3. What were your key insights? (For Workshops)