Working Knowledge A Monthly Column about Life on the Job

By Elisa F. Topper American Libraries Columnist Elisa F. Topper is director of the Dundee Township (Ill.) Public Library District and a career consultant. Contact her at working@ala.org. Column for October 2004

Making Meetings Work

I am writing on behalf of all the department heads at my library, but I'm sure I speak for many other library employees as well. To put it bluntly, we feel that if we have to sit through one more boring meeting we will just scream! Can you give administrators advice on how to conduct shorter and more effective meetings?

Bored out of our minds

Believe me, I have sat through many deadly meetings myself. And your instinct that others feel the same way is right on, too, according to Susan Dunn in her article “Stop Torturing People with Terrible Meetings” (www.careerknowhow.com/badmeetg.htm), which reports that when people are asked what they hate most about work, they usually say it's the meetings.
How much of our time on the job do meetings actually take up? A 2002 study cited in “Trim the Fat from Office Meetings”—a special report by Susan Bowles for USA Today's online workplace advice center—found that the average employee spends eight-and-a-half hours a week and top executives spend 12 hours per week in meetings. Not only do badly run meetings create bored staffers, but they can cost nearly $100 million a year.
Recently, I surveyed public library directors through the North Suburban Library System's online discussion list on how they conducted effective meetings. Interestingly, the majority reported that they didn't necessarily hold monthly all-staff meetings; instead, many incorporated meetings into staff in-service training days, which were held quarterly. Those who did hold monthly all-staff meetings scheduled them after library board meetings so they could relay key decisions to staff in a timely manner.
Meetings can be effective and productive if you follow some basic guidelines:

• Start on time and set a time limit. You may even consider time limits for each agenda item.
  
• Don't have a meeting just to have a meeting. Be sure that you have enough on the agenda to make it worthwhile, and schedule it when a majority of the staff will be able to attend.
  
• Treats are always nice additions to a meeting. Forego the usual donuts and coffeecakes and opt instead for scones, fresh fruit, or vegetables. (Be sure to consider dietary restrictions of any staff members.)
  
• No one says meetings must always be in the same location, or even inside—during summer months, for example, hold some meetings outdoors, and follow the session with a summery refreshment like lemonade or ice cream.
  
• To ensure meetings start on time, offer a prize to the first person to arrive, and you'll be surprised to see how many people show up early!
  
• Consider whether you really need to meet in person—could you achieve the same results via e-mail, telephone, or individual consultations?
  
• Set an agenda, ranking items by priority, and then stick to it.
  
• Remember to ask your staff to submit agenda items earlier in the week, and find ways to have them participate in the meetings as much as possible.
  
• If you include round-robin briefings or time for updates from each department, use a 3-minute timer to help staff keep their comments brief.
  
• Lynn Stainbrook of the Arlington Heights (Ill.) Memorial Library provides Play-Doh and Slinky Toys for managers to play with during long or stressful meetings.
  
• To add variety to staff meetings during the holidays, Wauconda (Ill.) Area Library Director Tom Kern plays songs on the piano and asks the staff to “name that tune” between agenda items.
  
• Above all, remember the most important rule: Surprise everyone and make your meetings brief.
  

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Resources

• The Complete Idiot's Guide to Meeting and Event Planning by Robin E. Craven, (Penguin, 2001).
  
• First Aid for Meetings: Quick Fixes and Major Repairs for Running Effective Meetings by Charlie Hawkins (Bookpartners, 1997).
  
• How to Hold Successful Meetings: 30 Action Tips for Managing Effective Meetings by Paul R. Timm (Career Press, 1997).
  
• The Manager's Guide to Effective Meetings by Barbara J. Streibel (McGraw-Hill, 2002).
  
• Meyer's Rules of Order by N. Dean Meyer (NDMA, 2001)
  

(c) Copyright 2004 American Library Association