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The Company That Employs Me has decided it needs to Change. To get the employees to understand and “internalize” the new Purpose, they’re holding “Corporate Purpose, Strategy and Culture” meetings. Specifically, mandatory, 3-hour, in-person attendance meetings.

This is not a Company with a history of holding effective meetings. You could say that effective meetings are not part of the Company Culture. It seems to me, then, that a good way to start changing the Company Culture would be to start with that first meeting.

In reviewing this meeting after it ended, I came up with a list of features that I believe are vital to any well-managed presentation / training session of this sort. Sadly, most of these
features weren’t present in the meeting I attended.

Why is this meeting taking place?

What is the purpose of the meeting? The invitation should provide a summary abstract.

Don’t let the rumor mill take over! Our meeting was entirely described by the email subject line: Corp Purpose, Strategy and Culture Mtg (Mandatory/In person required).

What, exactly, does that mean?

What kind of meeting is this?

Is this an informational presentation? A working /brainstorming meeting? A training session? What can I expect? How can I prepare?

Why am I invited?

Why me? What will I get out of this? Who else will be at the meeting?

Publish an Agenda

This is a critical point. A meeting must have an agenda and the agenda should be published before people walk in the door.

What Should We Expect From This Meeting?

Along with the Agenda, tell people what they should expect to get out of the meeting. This is especially important for a training meeting. What should the attendees expect to learn?

Required Training? Provide Choices.

For required company training, employees should be given a choice of times, dates, and locations whenever possible. Options should be presented well in advance. The attendees will have a more open mindset if they don’t feel they’re being forced into something.

Mandatory?! Drop Everything!

If a meeting is important enough to be “mandatory”, it should override all other considerations of the business day. Hold the meeting during core working hours (between 10 am and 4pm). Cancel any other meetings.

Schedule Thoughtfully

If you want people’s attention, the best time to get it is during the standard working day, roughly between 10 am and 3 pm, when most minds are freshest. If you want people’ undivided attention, avoid conflicting with end-of-day, after-work commitments — family, child care, carpools, classes, long commutes through traffic…

The meeting I attended was scheduled from 3:15 pm to 6:15 pm. This crosses the boundaries of propriety between corporation and employee. Never go beyond the end of the standard work day.

Physical Layout

If this is a presentation, make sure everyone has a clear view of the presenter. If it’s a Brainstorming session, make sure everyone can make eye contact when necessary. Do people need to write? Will there be refreshments (at least water)? Provide tables as well as chairs.

In the meeting I attended, the audience was seated at small tables, six to a table. At least one chair at each table faced away from the front of the room.

During presentations, at least one person had to turn completely around to see the presenter and the screen. During the “exercises”, that person had to turn around again to use the table.

Physical comfort

Provide at least one short break after every 70-90 minutes. Get people up and moving. Keep them awake and attentive.

For meetings that run more than two hours, refreshments should be offered. At minimum, provide plenty of water.

Provide necessary tools

Will the participants be required to write? Provide pens, pencils, markers or crayons. If this is a training session, provide plenty of paper for notes.

Watch the Time

The longer a meeting is scheduled to last, the more important it is that it not run over time. In a presentation-style or training meeting, someone should play time keeper. Ensure that each section is on track and running smoothly.

Nothing says “lack of preparation” more clearly than repeatedly falling behind on the schedule.

Audience Attention

Practice your presentation. If you start running over time, re-assess. You’ll start losing people’s attention after the first hour. How will you get it back?

Audience or Participants?

Are we in this meeting to sit and listen or to participate? People learn best from a combination of watching, listening, and talking about what they’re seeing and hearing.

Ask questions of the audience. Encourage questions from the participants. Make this an interactive process. Get the attendees involved. Get people talking to each other.

In the meeting I attended, attendees were seated six around a table. However, the “exercises” were all handled individually — think to yourself and write your thoughts on your own worksheet. Wouldn’t we have learned more if we had been asked to work as a group?

KISS

During the presentation, make the message concise, simple, and clear. Avoid extraneous detail and examples. Provide take-away materials for later review. These materials can go into additional detail and depth.

Takeaway

If you want people to take ideas away with them, provide some physical representation of those ideas. Provide a URL for an online copy of the presentation. Hand out printed copies of the slides. Burn a DVD. Make the presentation something people can carry back to their desks and review later.

Closure

At the end of the meeting, provide a summary. Remind the attendees of the highlights of the session. What are the expected results of the meeting.

Be sure to ask for feedback. Provide a feedback form or an online survey.