Meetings with focus 

Choosing participants 

Decide and deliver productivity 

A successful meeting is dependant on participant planning, management, facilitation and contributions.  

Checklist for participants:

-leads an item on the agenda 

-technical and innovative expertise

-responsible for outcomes 

-insightful problem solver (guest speaker).

3 to 7 people is ideal

Research by Brain & Company, published in 2010, Decide & Deliver: 5 Steps to Breakthrough Performance in Your Organization, identifies a “Rule of Seven” advantage.  When developing your attendee list, every attendee over a total of seven reduces the likelihood that the group will be able to make an informed decision by 10 percent.

Refined and professional attendees 

demonstrate characteristics of: 

• systematic approach 

• active contributor 

• relevant insight and feedback 

• aim for transparency in decision making 

• timeliness.

Mastering Role as Meeting Leader

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1. Organised

2. Time effective

3. Clarifies attendee roles

4. Leads different types of meetings 

5. Consistency with directives

6. Implements polls or surveys (with larger groups)

7. Makes decisions from discussion to action

Cultivating Role as Facilitator

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1. Adaptable 

2. Allocates time for conceptual thinking

3. Positive voice tone promotes open environment

4. Gently intervenes, persuades and directs

Higher productivity in meetings

Poor productivity in meetings

The right people.

Striving teamwork for greater outcomes.

Elimination of organisational barriers to high performance.

Higher management authority required for longer meetings > 90 minutes. Quorum requirement. 

State purpose and role of each participant.

Hold meetings on Tuesdays...or with flexible working hours, Saturdays.

Use technology to enhance meetings, attendance, distribution of objectives and roles. 

More truthful anonymous suggestions.

Relevant data preparation in advance for decision making.

Business attitude improving operational efficiency. 

Respect reactive opinion without judgement.  Allow time for them to refine their reasoning. 

Recharge mute station for mobile phones.

Decisions has already been made prior to meeting.

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Adopting acceptance to late attendance.

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Discussing irrelevant problems.

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More than 10 participants without use of online survey technology. 

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Sharing individual identity 

Personal I gender I relationship I social I generational I cultural I legislative 

Rewarding connections

Non judgemental I new approaches I appreciating honesty I constructive

Heighten curious involvement 

Interrogative questioning I enjoy new experiences I identify needs I thirst for solutions

Further Reading:  Methods for Investigating Decision Making in Healthcare Network Meetings