Organizing and Leading Effective Project Meetings

A Meeting’s Purpose

So, why do we hold meetings? Through meetings, we deliver instructions, confirm progress, solve problems, reach agreements, assign tasks, and formulate plans. In short, we hold meetings for countless reasons, but there’s one thing they all have in common: They’re goal-oriented events. Meetings are not mere social gatherings. If there’s no purpose, there should be no meeting.

Note

"Meetings must be deliberate and intentional—your organizational rhythm should value purpose over habit and effectiveness over efficiency."
— Chris Fussell, Author of “How Leaders Build a Team of Teams”

A Project Manager’s Role: The Facilitator

As a project manager, you are the meeting facilitator. That means defining the meeting’s objective and leading the group toward achieving that goal. Rather than dictating outcomes or simply monitoring the discussion, you’ll guide the group by organizing the agenda, facilitating the conversations, and following up. You’ll help the group prepare and encourage productive discussions. Then, you’ll summarize the results, define next steps, and welcome feedback to improve project development.

Tips for Leading an Effective Meeting

Once your meeting is planned and organized, the next step is to hold the actual meeting. Here are 4 tips to keep in mind that can help you be a great meeting facilitator:

Manage the Clock

A drawn-out meeting isn’t just frustrating, it also negatively impacts your project’s timeline. Manage the clock by encouraging the group to achieve as much as possible in as little time as possible. Here are a few tips:

• Start and end on time. When you consistently start and end on time, it becomes a habit. People will know what to expect, and they’ll be less inclined to arrive late or stall.
• Timeboxing. If the group is struggling to reach an agreement, give them a certain amount of time to decide. If a decision can’t be reached after that time limit, assign independent work and defer the topic until the next meeting.

Stay on Topic

Meetings are prone to getting off topic. It’s the nature of conversations, but that side effect can impact your success. If off-topic items are brought up, use the parking lot technique, which allows you to stay focused while still acknowledging off-topic points. Here’s how it works: When someone mentions an issue that’s outside the meeting’s scope, write it down and add it to the “parking lot.” Include this list with your meeting notes and save these topics for the next agenda.

Encourage Equal Participation

Often, those who are more vocal will take over a meeting’s discussion. Not only does this prevent more timid attendees from contributing, but it also skews your perspective on the project since certain points are expressed more aggressively than others. One of the most popular tricks for this is the nominal group technique. When introducing a topic, use this technique by first going around the room and encouraging everyone to share their thoughts in 30 seconds or less. Only after you’ve heard everyone’s input can you open the conversation.

Summarize and Define Next Steps

Finally, at the end of each agenda item, summarize what’s been shared. Make sure the group agrees on the consensus. Then, ask the group: “What’s the next step?” Decide what needs to happen next to keep the project moving forward. Keep a written record of that summary and future tasks. At the end of the meeting, send out these details to all participants and relevant stakeholders. By documenting what happened and who’s responsible for what actions next, you’ll improve overall understanding and accountability.

On the text below, you can find a checklist for you to organize and lead effective meetings.

Organizing and Leading Effective Meetings

Before your next meeting, refer to this meeting facilitator checklist. These are the core responsibilities of every meeting facilitator:

• Define the meeting objectives.
• Translate those objectives into a planned agenda.
• Confirm that the right people will attend.
• Assign pre-work so that everyone is prepared.

4 Steps for Preparing an Effective Meeting

Move through this step-by-step process to learn how to organize a successful meeting and arrive prepared.

Define the Objective

Why are you meeting? Remember, every meeting has a purpose, so be sure to define yours. Ask yourself, "What do I want people to learn or achieve during this meeting?" For instance, do you want the group to come to a decision? Give a status update? Or develop new ideas? You might say, “Our objective is to identify the best solution for current time delays,” or “I want each team member to outline their progress and plans.” The meeting’s purpose is what determines the agenda, attendees, and discussion topics. It’s what keeps the conversation focused. Begin with a goal, and you’re more likely to end with success.

Translate those objectives into a planned agenda.

After defining your objective, develop a plan for meeting that goal. Often, that will be in the form of an agenda, which you can then use to keep your team on track. To prepare an agenda, list all the topics that will be covered during the meeting. Put them in a logical order and offer any background information attendees might need. The agenda gives participants a clear layout of what to expect, so be sure also to include the meeting’s time and place. Always send out the agenda before the meeting. When people arrive with clear expectations about what will be discussed and when, they’re more likely to come prepared.

Confirm that the right people will attend.

Who needs to attend this meeting? As soon as you’ve built an agenda, consider the people responsible for each item. If you don’t include the right people, you risk making incorrect or incomplete decisions. When identifying your participants, target the smallest number of people possible to cover the scope of your meeting. Ask yourself: Does everyone here really need to attend? Is there anyone I’ve left out? The more focused your guest list is, the more focused your meeting will be.

Assign pre-work so that everyone is prepared.

The final step to organizing your meeting is to assign pre-work. Ask yourself: Is there anything people can do now to prepare for this meeting? If so, let them know. For example, if your objective is to solve a specific problem, ask your attendees to come prepared with possible solutions. If you’re having a status meeting, list the details each person needs to provide. When people know what’s expected of them, they can then brainstorm ahead of time, which leads to more productive group discussions.

Once your meeting is planned and organized, the next step is to hold the actual meeting. Remember the 4 points that have been explained in the video above:

• Manage the clock so that more is achieved in less time.
• Keep the discussion on topic.
• Encourage full participation from all attendees.
• Communicate the meeting results and next steps.