So just how exactly can you avoid having demoralizing meetings?
Each meeting should aim to model these four key elements: Purpose, Preface, Discussion, and Decision.
Lets call this meeting model PPDD, dangerously close to PTSD, I know, and for a good reason.
Bad meetings can leave your employees feelings like they have the stomach flu (or any other unforeseen medical emergencies) each and every time you call a meeting.
“In a recent Harris poll, sponsored by the online collaboration company Clarizen, 46 percent of respondents said they’d prefer to do almost anything else instead of sitting in a status meeting. Seventeen percent said they would choose to watch paint dry. Eight percent said they would opt for root canal.” (Source: Inc)
As much as I love watching my DIY paint project come to fruition, some of the worst meetings I have attended have been the notorious “status” meetings or as we call it, the “check-in” or “routine” meetings. (Paging employee #1. What’s your status, over? Employee #1 checking in, over. Just let me do my job, over.)
So the next time you have the urge to call a meeting, don’t forget to address everything on PPDD prior to scheduling one. If you cannot answer the Purpose and the Preface without having to say “just because” or “because I feel like we need one” (your feelings are very wrong!), you probably should reconsider calling everyone into a meeting.
Each of the four key meeting elements addresses at least one important question.
Purpose – Answers WHAT.
What are you hoping to address at the meeting and what issues are you trying to resolve? What is the end result you hope to accomplish?
Preface – Answers WHY.
Why is it imperative that you address the issue with your team? Is this something that must be addressed immediately?
Discussion- Answers HOW.
How do we solve the problem, make adjustments, or move forward with an existing plan? How are you going to tackle challenges, improve performance, and keep your team motivated?
Decision – Answers WHO.
Who has the expertise to address your WHAT, WHY, and HOW? What are the responsibilities of each team member in implementing ideas and plans from Discussion?
Once you are able to formulate concrete answers to the Purpose and Preface, aim to tackle both Discussion and Decision during the meeting. Each employee should leave the meeting with a clear understanding of all key points covered during Discussion and Decision.
Here’s an example of a well-established PPDD. At the end of the meeting, each person should be able to agree on the details of all four key elements:
P – Creating marketing materials for our new program. Content must be updated within the next few weeks.
P – There is an opportunity to market our new program at the next meet-up in 3 weeks. By then, the group must come up with ideas for web and user interface design, downloadable materials, and flyers
D – The website is outdated and we need our new program information visible on the landing page. According to analytics, our blog has the most views from our target audience – the blog should be utilized to attract more following.
D – Larry will work with Lara on flyers and downloadable content for the website by next Thursday. Jack and Dorsey will work on updating company blog by next Wednesday.
Just to give you an idea of how a meeting can go wrong, here’s an example of a PPDD flop:
P – There’s a meet-up in a few weeks. We should have a meeting to discuss what we should do.
P – There is an opportunity to market our new program. Someone should do something, so lets talk.
D – The website is outdated and we need new program information visible on the page. Why is no one handling this? It should have been taken care of last month! By the way, how is the open house event coming along? When will we expect to have a company get together?
D – That was a great discussion. Lets plan to meet next Wednesday since there’s a meet-up in a few weeks. We should have a meeting to discuss what we should do. Is everyone free to meet next Wednesday?
A bad meeting, therefore, lacks specifics in both the Purpose and the Preface and then ends the meeting by repeating the Purpose in the Decision process. The result is one or both of two unfortunate scenarios:
Everyone leaves the meeting frustrated or confused without a clear sense of his/her responsibility in addressing topics discussed. More meetings are necessary to address the real task at hand, possibly leaving important goals to be met very last minute or the entire topic is postponed, creating a consensus among employees that “nothing gets done”.
If we wish to rely on meetings to address challenges, create solutions, and to move our teams forward, perhaps we first need to address the ways in which we plan and execute our meetings.
Happy Leading!
Dream a Career 
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