Not another Meeting!

Abstract

A meeting should help an organization better accomplish its mission. Many times our meetings do not achieve this goal. This does not have to be the case. Individuals and organizations invest significant time and resources in meetings, but they can fall short of the desired results. When meeting participants are not engaged, there is a real but frequently hidden cost on both the entire organization and individuals. These costs can include hard dollars due to wasted or misdirected efforts and soft dollar costs associated with individuals stress and morale. Once an organization has an understanding of the cost and benefits associated with meetings, there are many best practices which can be used to help achieve the results needed. These practices are designed to make it easy to do the right thing and hard to do the wrong thing. This research provides a prioritized list of best practices that can improve the meeting experience, outcomes, and build organizational capabilities. Prioritization is based on empirical data from literature as well as limited survey results and personal experiences.