How to plan a meeting that doesn’t suck.

Most meetings suck. We are here to help.

So, today, we are sharing our tips to help you to plan a meeting that doesn’t suck.

Our goal here today is to help new and emerging leaders. We want to share tips to plan a meeting that doesn’t suck. Will attending a meeting kill you? No. Well, not immediately. But attending a few meetings in one day that suck might eventually kill you. Don’t we all want to live a long life? Yes, so we want to avoid meetings that suck. Nope, we are not medical professionals. We don’t know if there are medical reasons for meetings killing us, but as marketing professionals we believe all meetings don’t have to suck.

We get it, the idea of having a meeting originated with great intentions. But nowadays, most status meetings suck.

Won’t it be great to develop a knack for planning and leading meetings that don’t suck? That is what this post is for. It is not that hard. Check out our tips below to help you plan a meeting that doesn’t suck.

definition of a meeting:

Get a group of people together (virtually, in conference rooms, or literally, anywhere) to communicate the same information to that group of people, and ask for feedback.

How to plan a meeting that doesn’t suck…

Tip 1: Focus on the WHY. Why have a meeting? The most important question you should ask is: “What is this meeting intended to achieve?”

There are a few key reasons to have a meeting;

• To share information
• Instruct or teach
• To make a decision
• To brainstorm
• to “surprise” someone on their birthday with candles on a cake in the conference room

Want to plan a meeting that won’t suck?

Share new information that cannot be shared in a memo or email.

Sometimes, important information just needs to be shared in person. Information that cannot come from a memo or email. Sometimes the information must come from a particular person. Some examples of meetings that won’t suck are below:

• meeting to discuss feedback from a performance review, a 1:1 meeting with a manager and the employee
• review of an annual results report where leadership can address the topics as they apply to a large group
• announcement of an award or recognition from a client
• update about an organizational change that affects an individual or group
• an event or situation that impacts the whole organization where clear concise messaging needs to be shared
• any meeting about employee growth, i.e. to discuss career path development, employee retention, individual compensation, annual bonuses, promotions and more….

Ideally, prior to any information being shared at a meeting, the person leading the meeting should…..

• talk about who is in the room & who is not
• talk about if the information being shared is sensitive and or/public knowledge
• If the meeting topic is not public info and/or sensitive info, the meeting leader should offer ways to address the topic if unsolicited inquiries arise.
• If it is a “birthday” surprise meeting, someone will usually hush the room, before another co-worker enters with the unsuspecting birthday celebrant. They will be greeted with a wonderful song and lots of people. Some will be excited to be escaping their desks for a few minutes, while others will be nervously twitching, thinking about how desperate they are to get back to the project they have to finish before cob.

Meetings that are a waste of time, suck. If you don’t want to waste time, you need to plan and make sure you can accomplish your goals at any meeting you plan.

Avoid the suck. Even if, or despite the fact, that there may be birthday cake involved.

Having a meeting that doesn’t adhere to one of the above points, can be a waste of time. And it may result in having a meeting that sucks.

First, if it is mandatory, you must attend. What meetings are mandatory? Well, any department meeting, a companywide meeting, a membership meeting or that monthly “surprise” birthday cake in the conference room. Oh, and can any meeting where there is cake actually suck? We say yes, but that is a topic for another day. Even if it is mandatory, you can make sure you are getting the maximum value out of every meeting. A plan will help you organize a meeting that doesn’t suck.

• Arrive on time
• plan how you will participate
• Make sure to say hello to the meeting organizer when you arrive
• leave when you can and say goodbye

Even at an internal Birthday cake meeting, there may be an opportunity to casually chat with someone on the leadership team or a new person with the organization. That one conversation can turn a meeting into one that doesn’t suck.

Sometimes, it is ok to just go for the cake and say a quick “happy Birthday” and make a quick exit and head back to your office or desk.

What meetings are coming up next on your calendar?

Can you refine your calendar by eliminating unnecessary meetings? Can you clearly define goals or outcomes for the next few meetings?

If not, maybe you don’t need to be a part of these meetings and you can follow the advice below from Annie Lamott. No. Is a complete sentence

At KirCo we offer vCMO services to help our clients gain new customers. We specialize in brand building, strategic planning, traditional media buying, creating partnerships and delivering results. Above all, we strive to provide exceptional customer service. So, to get in touch you can call us at 518-KIR-ated or use the QR code to schedule a chat. We love helping our clients grow. To read more about when to work with a vCMO check out this article.

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