3 Ways I’ve Changed My Meetings

3 Ways I’ve Changed My Meetings

Derek Kimball (Cedar Valley Angels)

I struggle with meetings. Keeping people on topic and accomplishing meeting goals is tough. However, after taking the See What I Mean workshop, I have seen dramatic improvement! Here are the top 3 ways I’ve changed my meetings.

I have implemented the Agenda Architecture. Other than a basic agenda, meetings were free form, which allowed them to stray from the intended purpose, but implementing the Agenda Architecture has given everyone clarity on their role and has reinforced the cohesiveness of our group. It feels a lot more like we’re all moving in the same direction.

What are we NOT discussing? Is this a detail, brainstorm, or big-picture meeting? I felt like I was always looking at the clock, nudging people back towards the goal of the meeting. Stephanie and Stacy did an excellent job of answering our meeting specific questions. The strategies and tools have helped us to stay the course in our meetings. As a bonus, we also see a higher level of engagement from meeting participants.

Tools, Tools, Tools! One of the most valuable implementations has been the integration of visual tools. Instead of passing out a list or taking notes on a whiteboard, I use strategic and engaging tools to aid the discussion. These have made the conclusions decisions clearer and help everyone more easily recall what was discussed.

The tools and strategies I’ve acquired through the See What I Mean workshop have brought a lot of value to my meetings and our organization. We have improved relationships among team members and are moving faster and more efficiently than we were before. If you are a meeting facilitator, investing in this workshop will be one of the best things you can do for your organization.