Welcome to the first blog post in a series focused on practical skills for emerging leaders. In this series, my goal is to capture the leaderships lessons I’ve learned throughout my career—lessons that only experience could teach me—before I could confidently stand in front of a room full of leaders to train them in leadership.
We are starting with a critical skill that people often overlook—but it becomes painfully obvious when done wrong: how to run a meeting. With that in mind, let’s dive into the essential tips for running an effective meeting.
1. Define the purpose and agenda.
Every meeting invitation should include a clear purpose and proposed timed agenda for the conversation. This accomplishes two things: First, it forces you to think through the goals of the meeting and to ask yourself: Could this be an email? Second, it makes it clear to your audience what they can expect to gain from or contribute to the conversation. I’ve worked with senior leaders who will flat-out decline a meeting invitation if it does not include an agenda. Want to be known for running a good meeting? Do the necessary prep work!
2. When the meeting starts, set a clear frame.
Now more than ever, it feels like people are jumping from back-to-back calls all day without even time for a quick break. This constant context switching—moving from one project or idea to the next—can be mentally draining. Do your attendees a favor by taking a moment at the start of the meeting to remind everyone why they are there: What is the big picture? What is the goal for today? Why are we here? This primes your participants to thoughtfully contribute and ensures that everyone is on the same page to discuss the topic at hand.
3. Use (but don’t abuse) your timed agenda.
The timed agenda is there as a guide and a set of goals to keep the meeting on track. Make sure to have your agenda handy to maintain the flow of the conversation. However, there’s a caveat: If the team is engaged in a big, complex, strategic discussion that runs long, feel empowered to let that conversation play out. Sometimes, big questions take time to answer. A word of caution: As the meeting facilitator, it is critical that you keep the team moving past topics or ideas that could be considered “splitting hairs” or are ultimately inconsequential.
4. Take notes or identify a notetaker in advance.
As the meeting organizer, it’s essential to have a plan to capture notes during the meeting. You do not need to be the notetaker if you’re actively facilitating the conversation or sharing important material on your screen. Just make sure you’ve arranged for someone else to take notes in your place. This ensures that all important decisions and action items are captured for easy follow-up after the meeting.
5. Close with clear next steps and feedback.
Ensure that you reserve at least five minutes at the end of every meeting to summarize next steps, identify who is responsible for each action item, and solicit feedback from your attendees. (Read more in this detailed post by Bethany Bremer about creating a feedback culture.) This step guarantees that all action items have a clear owner. Additionally, it creates a crucial feedback loop for emerging leaders; by explicitly seeking feedback, you open the door to receiving both positive and constructive input from your superiors or peers, which will help you become more effective at running meetings in the future.
What other tips do you have for new and emerging leaders who are facilitating meetings? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
And click to learn more about Insight Experience’s Developing New Leaders offering, which enables leaders to practice leading teams and making critical leadership decisions.
