The Six Principles of Great Meetings

Some days we feel like meetings gobble us up. We beg to get back to our desk to do our “real work.”  Other days we need an idea, a decision, a breakthrough and our first instinct is to call a meeting for help.  

Why are meetings so tricky? Why are we so ambivalent about them? At See What I Mean, we believe meetings are necessary because so much of what we try to accomplish requires human interaction.  Meetings are our platform for human connection. We also believe that meetings can be better. Much better. Better for the people around the table and better for your organization's progress


In this post we explore Six Principles of Effective Meeting Design.

The questions on everyone’s mind during the meeting:

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Role clarity

In a great meeting:

  • Each person knows where their decision making role, and everyone else’s decision making role, begins and ends.

  • Each person has maximal opportunities for participation appropriate to their role.

  • Meeting designers have carefully considered the right questions for the audience.

 

The questions on everyone’s mind during the meeting: 

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Purpose driven design

In a great meeting:

  • Each person knows the purpose of the meeting: decisions, ideas, learning, aligning, etc.

  • Each person knows what’s NOT on the table. For example, we’re making decisions, not opening new ideas.  We’re sharing information, not telling each other what to do.

  • Meeting designers name the purpose explicitly and choose activities appropriate to the purpose.

The questions on everyone’s mind during the meeting: 

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Relationship development is always on the agenda

In a great meeting:

  • Relationships are built, maintained or sustained.

  • Each person has the opportunity to do their best work and be their best self in the session.

  • Meeting designers include appropriate ways to create shared experiences that support relationship development.

The questions on everyone’s mind during the meeting: 

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Build the agenda with the right architecture


In a great meeting:

  • Each person can follow the logic of the meeting.

  • Each section of the agenda has a purpose that supports the previously and following activity.  

  • Meeting designers employ the architecture of great meeting design, including elements that are often forgotten, skipped and overlooked.

The questions on everyone’s mind during the meeting: 

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Design activities, not discussions.

In a great meeting:

  • Each person can be an active participant, not a passive recipient, or a bored bystander.

  • Large group, all-discuss, everything formats are limited/

  • Meeting designers use a variety of activities and tools to keep people engaged and energy flowing.

The questions on everyone’s mind during the meeting: 

Visuals and metaphors create sticky understanding.

In a great meeting:

  • Each person understands and can remember the core concepts.

  • Visuals and metaphors help people debate ideas, rather than each other.

  • Meeting designers use visuals to help move a conversation along and make results memorable.

Implementing these Six Principles of Great Meetings will give you the Super Powers to Design Effective Meetings.

Download our complimentary infographic “6 Super Powers of Effect Meeting Design” to remember these Principles.

Need help implementing these Six Principles?

Tricky meeting coming up? Need help energizing an agenda? Looking for a few tips on how to deal with a challenging topic?  We’ve got you covered. At SWIM we offer a 1 hour Coaching session for Facilitation and Agenda Design. During this session we’ll provide you with ideas, tools and feedback to make the most of your session.

-Author, Stacy Van Gorp

Stacy Van Gorp