How often do you attend a meeting and then begin to forget about its contents once the chair announces the meeting is adjourned?
“Too often,” is my answer to that question.
Many managers find that they have so many matters demanding their attention that once a meeting ends, its content moves to the bottom of the pile and they address the next problem facing them.
If meetings are to be effective, it is important that when a meeting’s time has elapsed, the chair does not allow the meeting’s importance to end as well.
The chair needs to see that three things happen following a meeting’s adjournment:
i) Minutes of the meeting need to be sent out promptly.
ii) An action plan needs to accompany the minutes.
iii) A follow-up plan must be implemented.
Minutes of the Meeting
It amazes me whenever meetings occur without the prompt follow-up of minutes that describe what took place and what was decided. The lack of minute preparation occurs in the private and public sectors, in social and in business environments. It is a common deficiency and it is an impediment to action following the meeting.
Minutes provide a record that can be referred to in the future. Without minutes, a great deal of time is frequently spent at subsequent meetings trying to recall what was agreed upon in a prior meeting. This leads to false recollections, misled attribution of responsibility, and the avoidance of accountability.
It is important that minutes are circulated shortly after a meeting has been held, preferably within forty-eight hours. Distributing minutes of a meeting promptly allows the meeting’s participants to review the minutes while the meeting’s business is still fresh in their minds. This enables them to respond quickly to any matter that has been recorded in a way contrary to their understanding.
If a meeting participant disagrees with something that has been included in the minutes, this disagreement should be dealt with promptly and not be delayed until the next time the committee or group meets.
Action Plan
Even when minutes are issued to the participants, frequently they are not accompanied with an action plan. Unless expected actions are clearly defined within the minutes, a plan should accompany the minutes. The plan should include a number of items:
i) A clear description of what is to be accomplished.
ii) Clear identification of the person(s) given responsibility for the task.
iii) A scheduled date for completion of the action.
iv) A communication or reporting plan outlining how the participants will be informed of the progress or completion of the action.
Follow-up
Another frequently-occurring shortcoming is lack of follow-up regarding decisions and initiatives. This lack of follow-up is one of the reasons that many people fail to see the value of meetings. They view them as a ceremony that has to be endured rather than a vital part of their management responsibilities.
Recently, I was reviewing with a senior executive the way she spent her working time. She lamented the fact that she had to spend a day a week attending the weekly meeting of an affiliated organization.
Aside from losing her time attending the meeting, she did not perceive any purpose to her attendance other than the fact that the President of the affiliated organization (her President as well) wanted her to attend. She apparently was given few assignments at the meeting and there was little or no follow-up on the matters being discussed.
When the Chair of a meeting institutes a regimen of follow-up on meeting decisions and allocated responsibilities, meetings will move quicker, more things will be accomplished, and the whole process will be more meaningful and provide greater added value to the participants and the organization.