“Meetings . . . the place where work goes to die.”

What happens when you’re on the other side of the table? Want to participate effectively in your meetings? These techniques offer you the chance to play an active part.

Contribute to the Agenda – suggest/propose agenda items.

Review the agenda and clarify your thoughts prior to the meeting. Make some notes. Being prepared will make it more likely that you will have some energy behind your points of view and, therefore, be more likely to express them.

Prepare for the meeting:

Ø Ensure that previous meeting actions have been completed.

Ø Read up on agenda items.

Ø Under each agenda item, prepare points for discussion.

Ø If representing others at the meeting ensure that you understand their views (hold a pre-meeting?), so you can represent them.

Ø Be clear about the purpose, objectives and timings of the meeting.

Contribute to the meeting by offering ideas, opinions and information in a clear and confident manner.

If you’ve given up attending meetings where your contribution is not needed, it stands to reason all the meetings you attend require participation. Prepare whatever information you anticipate needing. Go overboard. Bring twice as much data as you think you’ll need. Just don’t spew the whole works. If you have information to hand out, get it to participants a day or two before the meeting.

Time contributions appropriately.

Stick to the point.

Do not hold mini meetings on the side.

Listen actively.

Ask questions.

Build on other people’s ideas.

Be willing to compromise.

Seek and confirm agreement.

Demonstrate attentive non-verbal behaviour.
Make links in the discussion to help it move on.

Acknowledge the viewpoints and contributions of others.

Providing clear feedback to others on the outcomes, decisions and actions of the meeting – particularly those you may have represented.

Take responsibility for following through to completion, within the agreed time-scales, the actions that have been agreed in the meeting.

THE SKILLS OF THE MEETING PARTICIPANT

To communicate their opinions confidently.

To listen and summarize.

To question.

To observe and be aware of others.

To use attentive non-verbal behavior.

To build consensus and common understanding.

For the sake of everyone else in the meeting, you need to prepare ahead of time, behave appropriately during the meeting, and "take care of business" afterward.