Success Secrets For 21St Century Meetings

Soanother meeting with the maintenance team is coming up. And you’re thinking: “Do I have to use the same boring agenda?”

The answer: a resounding “no!” Aim instead for a user-friendly agenda, packed with 21st century meeting success secrets. You can build a one-or two-hour meeting around some or all of these agenda items, moving through each item in rapid-fire succession.

Agenda Item 1 -Strengths. This agenda item consists of fast-moving reports of achievements. It sets a positive tone for the rest of the meeting.

Agenda Item 2 -Seeds. An outgrowth of the first item, this subject consists of summaries of ‘success seeds’ — reports from your people about the steps they’re taking for future success.

Agenda Item 3 -Satisfaction. What have your people felt best about since the last time you met? Here’s a chance for them to voice their thoughts.

Agenda Item 4 -Superlatives. Use this agenda item as the occasion for you to compliment your people — and for your people to compliment each other.

Agenda Item 5 -Strategies. So how have you achieved your successes as individuals, and as a team? And how can you improve your success rate in the future? Here’s a chance to talk about methods and techniques.

Agenda Item 6 -Standards. Building on your strategy discussion, here’s when you get to suggest and analyze bold new levels of accomplishment.

Agenda Item 7 -Searches. Through this agenda item, members of your team can describe the resources and reference sources they have used in their quest toward goals and successes.

Agenda Item 8 -Signals. Use this occasion to impart information about industry and business trends, and emerging corporate behaviour.

Agenda Item 9 -Shortcuts. Have your people discovered ways to save time, money and energy since you last met? During this brief discussion, they can share these tips.

Agenda Item 10 -Systems. Here’s the perfect occasion for you to review important procedures, and keep your internal operations in good working order.

Agenda Item 11 -Sales. During this meeting time, your people get to explain how they persuaded others — customers, peers, vendors, members — to move toward important goals.

Agenda Item 12 -Sabotage. What barriers — human, financial, market or attitudinal — have prevented your team from doing what they need to do? This is the time to raise them, and to consider ways to burst through those barriers.

Agenda Item 13 -Screams. No, you’re not going to solicit screams from your people. But here, you’ll give them the opportunity to share their frustrations and difficulties. And out of the conversation might come a few tips they can use to address any looming problems.

Agenda Item 14 -Show-and-Tell. Here, it’s time to share case studies and demonstrate success-building knowledge.

Agenda Item 15 -Samples. Building on show-and-tell, what creative work have members of your team completed since you last met? This is the perfect opportunity to share.

Agenda Item 16 -Stories. Maybe they’re humorous anecdotes. Maybe they’re war stories. Time to share again.

Agenda Item 17 -Secrets. Maybe it’s good news or bad news. Gossip. Hidden data. Startling facts. These topics are perfect for agenda item 17.

Agenda Item 18 -Service. How can your people help each other? Let your people use this time to ask for — and give — assistance.

Agenda Item 19 -Stuff. Sometimes known as ‘Other Business’.

Agenda Item 20 -Socializing. End your meeting time with food, drink and casual conversation — pleasure time and team time.

Richard G. Ensman, Jr., Is A Regular Contributor To Machinery & Equipment Mro.