One Meeting Minute Thought for Your Week
It’s hard to know how to get the right people in your meetings.
But using these 7 roles to create your participant list will make this challenging task significantly easier.
Because you must have the right People in your meetings to accomplish the Purpose you’ve defined for your meeting.
An important question to ask in any meeting
Have you ever been in a meeting and asked yourself:
“What are all these people doing in this meeting?”
For most meetings the answer is nearly impossible to figure out.
We’ve all been in meetings with too many people and not enough clarity on why they’re there.
Meetings aren’t productive or effective if the participants don’t know their role.
And, not knowing the Purpose of the meeting and the part you play in accomplishing that Purpose will make any meeting you’re in a demotivating, energy-sucking black hole that drains all the positivity out of even the most dedicated team members.
That’s true for you when you’re in someone else’s meeting and it’s true for each person you choose to include in your meeting invitations.
So, keep the people in your meetings energized and excited to contribute.
Be ready to explain exactly what role you expect each person to fill in your next meeting.
How to use 7 roles to get the right people in your meetings
As you’re preparing for your next meeting and crafting the attendee list, think about these 7 roles and why they’re important.
1. Owner
Who is responsible for ensuring this meeting occurs and is effective?
This is most likely you, but you may be doing work on behalf of another person, like your boss.
For instance, your manager may be trusting you to design and execute a meeting that she owns and attends.
2. Convener
Who schedules this meeting and gets it on the participants’ calendars?
You may have administrative support to manage the Herculean task of finding an open spot on multiple leaders’ calendars. Or, someone on your staff may help you do this.
If this is the case, that person needs to know whether they need to be in the meeting.
Without this clarity, they may come to the meeting “just to be safe” but not add any value.
3. Leader / Facilitator
Who plans and leads this meeting? This may not be the owner.
If you’re the person responsible for creating and sticking to the agenda, this is you.
The importance of having the right person in this role cannot be overstated.
Most bad meetings are caused by an ineffective facilitator who hasn’t been trained for this role or simply isn’t wired for this type of work.
The 6 Types of Working Genius productivity tool provides a framework to help you put the right person in this (and every) role. If you’re curious to know more, please contact me (click here). I can help.
4. Presenter(s)
Who shares information during this meeting?
Many meetings involve multiple presenters providing content to the audience.
As you’re preparing for a meeting, make sure you notify anyone who will be asked to present in advance, even if it’s an informal update.
No one likes to be surprised by an unexpected request to present during a meeting!
5. Scribe / Note Taker
Who, if anyone, takes the official notes for this meeting?
The role of the note taker is often missed in unproductive business meetings.
No one takes and distributes notes so companies end up having the same discussions in meeting after ineffective meeting. And this frustrates everyone!
Don’t let this happen to you!
Check out the resources below to learn more about this powerful role when you’re making sure you have the right people in your meetings.
6. Primary Audience
Who is the presenter presenting to?
Who (by name) must be present for this meeting to accomplish its purpose?
Here’s an example that many meeting leaders don’t get right.
If you’ve scheduled a meeting to decide something, your primary audience are those who have the authority to make the decision.
The meeting content should be focused on them.
And, if the deciders (your primary audience) can’t be there, don’t have the meeting.
7. Secondary Audience
Which people are also in this meeting but aren’t the primary focus?
The meeting can be held without them, but they still get or add value by being there.
Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and Learners are examples of secondary audience members.
Going back to the previous scenario of a decision-making meeting, letting people know they are NOT the primary audience will prevent confusion and wasted time.
Those who aren’t authorized and expected to decide shouldn’t be allowed to dominate a conversation with their comments and questions.
The primary, not the secondary, audience should be the focus.
Energize and motivate others by having the right people in your meetings
There are even more specific positions to consider as you hone your craft of designing and leading productive, effective meetings.
But these 7 meeting roles are a great place to start.
- Owner
- Convener
- Leader / Facilitator
- Presenter(s)
- Scribe / Note Taker
- Primary Audience
- Secondary Audience
When you’re preparing for your next meeting, make sure you explain to everyone you invite what role you expect them to fill in the meeting.
They’ll know exactly how to prepare in advance so they can contribute the most value during your meeting.
They’ll be motivated and energized and you’ll have a productive, effective meeting.
More Resources to Help You Build Your Career and Your Business
These resources tell you how to politely interrupt a secondary audience member if they’re dominating the conversation.
✅ How To Stop Someone From Rambling So They Can Be Heard (Blog post)
✅ How To Protect Your Meeting From A Rambler (Podcast)
And, check out this content for more on the power of the note taker in a meeting.
✅ How To Unlock The Power To Lead In A Role You Probably Don’t Like (Blog post)
✅ How To Lead A Meeting In A Way Most People Won’t Try (Podcast)
An article by Clockwise is an interesting read to understand what does and doesn’t motivate people when it comes to meetings.
This data point motivates me even more to keep publishing M4 – the Monday Morning Meeting Minute:
“A well-planned meeting is the #1 way to get people excited about going to a meeting, with 64% of people saying it gets them excited about joining.”
(click here to read the article from Clockwise).
And Now a Word from Our Sponsors
You probably know by now that I’m a huge fan of the Working Genius framework created by Patrick Lencioni, best selling author of books like The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team and The Advantage.
Why do I value the 6 Types of Working Genius so much and use it daily with my teams and clients?
Because it’s designed to help people experience Joy, Energy, and Fulfillment in their lives by doing the type of work they’ve been designed to do.
If that sounds like something you want for you and your teams, contact me (click here) and let’s have a conversation.
I’m a Working Genius Certified Facilitator and would love to talk about how you can apply the model to help you and your people find more engagement and success in their work.
We can design an affordable coaching or consulting package to help you and your teams get more done in less time and enjoy work more than ever.
Let’s talk about the next step that’s best for you!
That’s All for this Issue
If you’re putting in the effort to prepare for the meetings you lead, I want you to know you’re doing important work.
The data in the Clockwise article I linked to above confirms what I’ve been saying for years: people despise bad meetings.
So, as you work to get the right people in your meetings, remember that you are making a positive impact on people’s lives.
Keep doing what you’re doing to stop bad meetings.
It’s worth your time and effort!
Let’s lead with kindness and confidence!
Greg
Here are 3 ways I can help you when you’re ready:
- Get more free resources you can use today (Click here to Start)
- Improve on your own with digital courses (Click here to Improve)
- Accelerate your progress with coaching (Click here to Accelerate)
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