Signs of a Bad Meeting: Why Meetings Don’t Work
Written By Dick Massimilian
Published Spring 2021
We complain about meetings, but we attend more and more of them, online and in person. The problem isn’t meetings, it’s ineffective meetings in which nothing gets done. The first step in making your meetings work is to spot the signs of a bad meeting.
What are the signs of a bad meeting?
- The meeting starts late. If the meeting invitation has a start time of 9:00, start at 9:00.
- There is no agenda. Never call, schedule, lead, or, for that matter, attend a meeting without a clearly stated purpose. If you don’t know, ask, at the start of the meeting or in advance.
- The meeting runs over. Continuing past the scheduled end time without acknowledging it is unprofessional. Don’t do it.
- No one is sure what, if anything, was decided or accomplished. Revisit the meeting purpose and underline what has been accomplished.
- No one knows what the next steps are or who is supposed to follow up whom for what. Allocate time in the agenda to discuss next steps and action items at the end of the meeting.
- The same meeting to discuss the same topic seems to be held over and over again. If your meeting feels like déjà vu, ask yourself why.
- Discussions meander. Someone monopolizes the meeting. Someone else talks in circles, while yet someone else seems to simply rephrase what has already been said.
How to Lead an Effective Meeting (and get the results you want) is for people who need to lead effective meetings, in any context. It is a blueprint for getting results through meetings. Watch a video summary of the book below.
For an in-depth how-to guide on leading effective meetings, order How to Lead an Effective Meeting (and get the results you want) today. Click here to buy the book on Amazon.