As with first impressions, it’s hard to “undo” any negative impressions formed during the first few minutes of a meeting. That’s why effective business professionals make it clear — through words and actions — that the meetings they lead will be a productive use of everyone’s time. To do that, they follow a few simple rules:
Start on Time
Starting a meeting on time demonstrates consideration and respect for everyone’s time. It also reinforces the productive nature of the meeting. When meeting leaders wait for latecomers, they penalize those who have arrived on time. In fact, starting after the established start time may make those who have arrived promptly less productive. They may decide, for example, to check email or voicemail or “make a few calls” while waiting.
Don’t Let Latecomers Interrupt
The typical scenario when someone arrives late involves lots of chair scuffling, perhaps a few jokes about “bankers' hours,” and additional whispering as the latecomer asks a neighbor what’s happened so far. How to avoid that?
Some executives advocate locking the door. In fact, former President George W. Bush once locked the meeting-room door when then Secretary of State Colin Powell was late for a meeting. While locking the door may make a point, it won’t prevent the latecomer from knocking and interrupting the meeting. Besides, there may a legitimate reason for the latecomer’s tardiness, and embarrassment is unlikely to help encourage the late-comers participation.
The goal should be treat the disruption respectfully and, most of all, briefly. Example: “Welcome, Bill. Mary is giving her report on the budget. Since I promised to finish by 10:30, we have to hold any comments or questions until after everyone’s presentation.”
When Key Players are Late, Adjust or Postpone
Suppose the person scheduled to give the first presentation is late, or a boss or key decision maker with a direct role in the meeting is late. At the point, the meeting leader has two options: Adjust the schedule, or postpone the meeting. The point is to do something. Don’t just say something like, “I guess we’ll have to wait for Tom.” That’s everyone’s signal to pull out their cell phones. A better approach is to set a time-specific adjustment. “Let’s reconvene in five minutes. If Tom isn’t here by then, we’ll reschedule.”
Set a Productive Meeting Agenda
Set a productive tone by describing the agenda. Review:
- The goal of the meeting
- The meeting’s format
- The length of the meeting
It doesn’t much matter the order of these items, but it is important that all three be described. here’s an example:
“Okay, everyone, it’s nine o’clock, so let’s get started. Thank you all for being on time. I know how busy everyone is, so I’ll make sure we also end on time. As I mentioned in my email, we’ll be out of here by 11. (Length of the meeting) As you also know from that memo, we’re looking for everyone’s ideas and recommendations for the final budget report to the board, which is due on the the first of next month. (Goal, background) Today, we’ll spend the first hour sharing ideas and comments about the current draft, which I attached to the email. Since time is short and we need to hear from everyone, I’d appreciate your writing down any questions until after everyone’s presentation. We’ll get to those during our final 45 minutes. (Format) How does that sound?”
People who open their meetings in this way quickly gain the reputation as efficient and effective professionals who know how to get things done.
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