SIX RULES FOR RUNNING SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS Randy Y.

Hirokawa Professor and Chair Communication Studies Rule #1: DO NOT SCHEDULE A MEETING UNLESS THERE IS A REASON TO MEET. The DEO should call a meeting only when absolutely necessary. If departmental business can be handled through email, phone calls, and/or individual meetings with selected group members, a group meeting may not be necessary. Rule #2: IF A MEETING IS NECESSARY, KNOW WHAT YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE IN THE MEETING. Having determined that a meeting is necessary, the DEO should have a clear idea what s/he wants to achieve during the meeting. There are many different reasons for scheduling a meeting to dispense information, planning, problemsolving and decision-making, airing grievances, bolstering morale, and so forth. It is very difficult for a group to work toward specific goal(s) if they dont know what those goal(s) are. If the DEO doesnt know what the goal(s) of the meeting are, it is unlikely that the rest of the group will figure it out along the way. Rule #3: DO NOT TRY TO ACCOMPLISH TOO MUCH IN A SINGLE MEETING. The DEO must be realistic about what the group can reasonably accomplish in a single meeting. Groups will stay on task for about 30-45 minutes before they start to drift. Trying to accomplish much in a single meeting often results in the group cutting corners and overlooking important issues. This is why I favor having shorter meetings (with a few agenda items) than longer ones (with many agenda items).

Rule #4: PLAN THE LOGISTICS OF THE MEETING IN ADVANCE. Murphys Law certainly applies to group meetings. No problem, however simple and straightforward it appears to you, will be solved as quickly and easily as you think it should. No decision, however clear-cut it seems to you, will ever be settled quite as quickly as you anticipated. And if something can go wrong in a meeting, it usually does. That is why a DEO must plan out the logistics of a meeting as carefully as s/he can prior to the meeting. Work out in advance where and when the group will meet and how long the meeting will last. If the group needs written materials (charts, graphs, diagrams, and reports), make sure there are enough copies for everyone. Make sure that all key players are in attendance at the meeting, and if someone cant be there, obtain crucial information from him/her for distribution to the rest of the group. Rule #5: INVOLVE OTHERS IN THE MEETING AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. There is an old adage that it is easier for people to blame others than themselves. In the same way, it is harder for group members to blame a DEO for a poorly run meeting if they had a say in its planning, and had major responsibilities during the meeting. This is why I always invite faculty members to submit items for the agenda, and whenever appropriate, delineate group roles, assign responsibilities, and delegate authority where necessary. In many instances, I will also meet privately with group members and brief them about their role responsibilities and how I want them to play their roles during the meeting. Rule #6: NEVER GO INTO A MEETING UNPREPARED. A DEO should never to fight a windmill unless s/he knows the direction of the wind. Translated to group meetings, this means that a DEO should never go into a meeting without a mental picture of what to expect in the meeting i.e., what are the key issues and what are peoples views on them? The better able you are to anticipate what will happen in a meeting, the better prepared you are to take proactive steps to guide the group in productive directions. Conversely, the less able you are to anticipate what will happen in a meeting, the more likely you are to lose control of the meeting.