Communication Breakdown

Making the most of your meetings. By Rebecca Firth We've all been in that meeting, haven't we? It's the meeting where your co-workers go on and on about what they did last weekend. One went to a Knicks game; another was at a wedding in Chicago.

Making the most of your meetings. By Rebecca Firth We've all been in that meeting, haven't we? It's the meeting where your co-workers go on and on about what they did last weekend. One went to a Knicks game; another was at a wedding in Chicago. Meanwhile, you've got a truckload of work to get done and nothing is being accomplished. According to a recent study by WorldCom, busy professionals attend nearly 60 meetings per month. Yikes! When do we find time for actual work? It can be frustrating, but there are ways to run a successful meeting without coming unhinged. We've outlined a few common meeting problems below--and provided solutions that may redirect the group to a more productive outcome. Problem: Mindless Chatter Enough already. You know more about your co-workers than your own mother. Meetings are filled with current event bulletins and movie synopses; it quickly becomes an invitation to discuss everyone's world view. All work-related issues get pushed to the back burner. Solution: Gently, and frequently, bring the conversation back to the task at hand. One technique can be most effective: In a non-confrontational manner, point out something about the work issue at hand. This should jar participants back into line quickly. If not, consider asking about a project that two or more people are working on. Eventually, people will catch on and start to talk shop. Having a clear agenda is critical to meeting success, as well as a great way to keep the group attentive and alert. Problem: Attention Deficit Disorder This isn't kid stuff: Adults are plagued with ADD and it tends to show up in the workplace. Meetings may start on time, but everyone easily gets distracted with something else. Someone has to use the restroom, others insist on a coffee run, and the rest continue to take calls on their cell phones. It's meeting chaos and it needs to be controlled quickly. Solution: The same WorldCom study found that four out of five professionals admit to daydreaming during meetings--and nearly one-quarter have dozed off altogether. Having a clear agenda is critical to meeting success, as well as a great way to keep the group attentive and alert. If you prepare the agenda yourself or offer key suggestions, develop an outline and a timeframe to keep people focused. If you are not part of that process, offer to help your supervisor with the agenda and make sure everyone gets a copy in advance. Furthermore, try to keep one eye on the clock so that the meeting stays on schedule. Problem: What Are We Doing? Everyone goes to meetings with a sharp pencil and fresh legal pad, but no one really knows what it's all about. One New York consulting firm recently conducted a poll of managers, finding that 90 percent attribute meeting failure to a "lack of advanced planning and organization." Solution: Be prepared for all meetings. It's your job--not your boss's--to know what's going on. Always ask for the agenda, location, and timeframe so you can schedule the right amount of time. Also, make sure you do your research. Nothing will make you look worse in the corporate jungle than being completely unprepared in a meeting. Problem: Fruitless Labor You try and you try but nothing ever comes from the meetings you attend. Nothing ever really gets done before, during, or after. And your boss is breathing down your neck because you didn't anticipate the right meeting results. Solution: They're called action items. If you haven't heard about them by now, you might want to consider brushing up on your business rhetoric. For every item listed on the meeting agenda, make sure a person is assigned to it and a result specified. This will ensure that the discussions and decisions of the meeting are completed--and thus your labors will yield fruit. Finally, if you have a couple of meetings that fail, don't despair. It happens to the best of us. But if you repeatedly attend meetings where nothing gets done with a positive outcome, it's time to look at your meeting basics. You may find that you're spending less time outside of the office living life than in the meeting room talking about it. Rebecca Firth is a freelance writer and editor, based in California.