INDUSTRY

Meetings are often the bane of the workplace, but a Purdue University expert says a few simple guidelines can make office gatherings productive instead of a source of boredom or dread. Taggart Smith, a professor of organizational leadership and supervision in the College of Technology, says one of the key factors to running a good meeting is to make sure it's needed in the first place. "I don't think you ever need a meeting just to have a meeting," she says. "Too many times meetings are held with no clear purpose, employees become bored and this affects morale. Before holding any meeting, the meeting leader should first determine if it's really necessary." Smith says the two questions to ask before scheduling any meeting are "Can this be accomplished with a phone call or an e-mail?" and "What is the purpose of the meeting?" "Every meeting should have a clear objective that is communicated on an agenda distributed in advance," she says. "This helps focus the meeting so participants stay engaged and on track." The meeting agenda also should include all topics to be discussed, the time allotted to each item and who will be responsible for its implementation. Smith says a big mistake that many managers make is to mandate that everyone attends every meeting. "There is often no point to getting the whole office together to meet," she says. "If there's a reason that all the people should be at the meeting, then that's fine, but if the topic to be discussed affects only a few people, why not just have a mini-meeting with those people?" If it is determined that a meeting is needed, Smith has some tips to make the process move more quickly and efficiently: • Distribute the agenda, along with any materials to be discussed, at least three days before the meeting date. That gives everyone a chance to come to the meeting ready to discuss the issue and take action instead of wasting time reading over papers. • Meetings should generally last no more than an hour because participants' attention will begin to fade. • If a meeting must exceed an hour, do something creative, like break up into brainstorming groups or offer refreshments. • A good rule of thumb is to cover no more than five specific items per meeting. • Discuss the most important item first because the most time is usually spent on topics early in the meeting. Smith says another big problem with meetings is having to deal with complainers who often bring up topics not on the agenda. "The best way to deal with them is to confront them and say, 'That's a complaint, but what's your solution?' or 'That's an important point, but it's a side issue that we can discuss at the next meeting,'" Smith says. "And anyone can confront them, not just the meeting leader. "If you can control the meeting process, you can control its outcome to ensure that the goals are achieved in the least amount of time so there are fewer lost work hours. It's really up to every meeting attendee to make the meeting a success."