In this episode, Niamh shares her framework for meaningful meetings. She breaks down the three core elements: understanding, progress, and trust, offering practical tips to ensure your meetings are effective and productive.
It's a common complaint in the workplace: meetings that feel like a waste of time and could have easily been an email. Niamh admits to having scheduled bad meetings herself in the past, often due to a lack of preparation or confidence to push back. But when meetings are done well, they are a powerful tool for collaboration and can help a team move forward together. Meaningful meetings can provide a vital human connection in a world where many people spend their days buried in tasks.
To turn bad meetings into good ones, Niamh believes you need to focus on three key elements: understanding, progress, and trust. She explains that understanding begins with attendees knowing exactly why they are there and what is expected of them. It's also about creating enough space in the meeting for everyone to truly grasp what is being said, rather than rushing through a packed agenda. Progress, the second element, is about ensuring the meeting is actively moving work forward, whether by solving problems, giving approvals, or clarifying next steps. Finally, trust is crucial, built on the confidence that people will follow through on their commitments. This trust is developed when expectations are managed, people are empowered to say no to tasks they can't complete, and clear follow-up deadlines are set.
Understanding: Ensure everyone knows their role and the meeting's objective to avoid confusion.
Progress: A meeting should move work forward by solving problems, giving approvals, or clarifying next steps.
Trust: Trust is built when attendees follow through on their commitments and provide clear follow-up times.
The Right Energy: The outcome of a meeting is often determined by the energy people bring to it. Showing up with a positive, motivated attitude can help everyone overcome challenges.
Define the Meeting's Objective: As a meeting organiser, be specific about what you want each attendee to contribute. This helps everyone understand their purpose.
Create Space to Listen and Understand: Don't cram the agenda so tightly that people can't pause to ensure everyone understands what's being said.
Ensure a Clear Ending: A meeting is only as good as its ending. Make sure everyone understands the next steps and any unresolved questions are addressed.
Confirm Progress: At the end of the meeting, check if you can make progress as a result of the session.
Be the One to Bring the Energy: The atmosphere you bring to a meeting is crucial. Decide if you're going to bring positive energy or bring the meeting down.
Welcome to The Better Workday Podcast with your host, Niamh Moynihan. Niamh is the founder of Better Workday. She will challenge you to think differently about how you manage your time, energy, attention and relationships at work to be successful while supporting your well-being.
In each episode Niamh shares new insights and practical ideas to help you create a better workday.
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