Meeting Effectiveness – Leadership

There are many different skills and traits that are critical to successfully leading meetings, but there is one element, in particular, that is an absolute must. The bad news is that this critical element is violated so often by both meeting leaders and meeting attendees.

Before I give you the answer I want you to think about it for a moment. What one thing do you see happening in meetings that is so detrimental? I will give you a clue, this “thing” happens in all areas of our lives and it is a really big problem.

Be Present

One of my favorite quotes is by Jim Rohn. Jim said “The greatest definition of concentration is wherever you are be there”. Now what do you think the #1 thing is that you must do in every meeting? You guessed it, you must be present and so should your attendees. Too often we see people distracted by phones, daydreaming and my all time favorite, sleeping.

There are many other problems that must be addressed with meetings but the first challenge to overcome is to ensure that as the meeting leader you are fully present and that you demand the same from others. Draw others into the conversation by asking open-ended questions. Set ground rules about phones in meetings. Do whatever you have to do to get people to be present in your meetings.

There is no greater thing you can do to improve your meetings than to ensure everyone is present and engaged. If people aren’t participating in the meeting then chances are they are not needed there and should be excused or not invited in the first place.

Apply To All Aspects Of Life

Beyond meetings I believe that the concept of being present is so important to all aspects of our life. We are losing a part of what it means to be human when we forgo connecting with others to bury our faces in phones and other forms of isolating technologies. I encourage you to watch the video below and do an honest evaluation of how present you are in the various areas of your life. As this year comes to an end and a new year starts perhaps one of the changes you will make in the new year is to be more present, not only in your meetings but in all areas of your life.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year from all of us at MeetingResult.  If you are a current customer, we thank you for your business.  If you would like to explore ways to improve your meetings in 2018 then we invite you to contact us at sales@meetingresult.com.  We hope that you have a wonderful and relaxing time with friends and family this holiday season and we wish you the best in the coming New Year.

 

Find out more about The Single Most Important Life Skill Critical To Meetings