Читать книгу Effective Meetings in 7 simple steps - Barry Tomalin - Страница 18

One of the key questions in any meeting is who should attend. There is a golden rule: as few as possible. And only those relevant to the outcome. Allowing everybody in is rarely effective in a meeting. You end up with dozens of ideas, hundreds of disagreements, no decisions and no clear way forward.

What are the outcomes of this approach?

 time wasted

 disaffected people

 a demotivated department

It’s far better to decide what you want to achieve and who you think will help you achieve it, as well as those who might oppose it, though you need to listen to them. They often think of things you forget or warn you of possible dangers. Get these people in the meeting and focus on them.

How many people should attend? Research suggests that the optimum number of people in any meeting is five or seven: an odd number of participants allows a majority view to be reached. Many directors hold pre-meetings, almost chats, with trusted colleagues (and opponents) to review options and strategies before taking the issue to the larger meeting.