Fast Company Article - April 1999 You Have To Start Meeting Like This by Gina Imperato

Meetings, meetings, meetings! Depending on the day, that word can sometimes come close to pushing me over the edge! There are some meetings I dread, while there are others I actually look forward to. As I think about the meetings, I can tell you what makes me dread going to them - the people. In my mind, there are two types of meetings that surface. The first meetings are 4-H meetings, Federation, committees or club meetings. The second are cluster meetings. At 4-H meetings, the people are there because they have a vested interest in the program, they have ideas and they usually want to be there - on their own time. At cluster meetings, people are there because they are told it is part of their job and there are expectations to accomplish tasks - not all of which they are interested in. I probably don't have to spell out which type of meeting is more enjoyable to attend!

As I read this article, I was making notes and underlining phrases and ideas because they were giving me ideas to try. To me that is important, because of the number of meetings I attend.

Before I read the ideas and practical applications, I was nodding in agreement to what happens at so many meetings. Some people never get a chance to talk and the quality of communication is comparable to the quality of arguments you used to have with your siblings as kids. There is no respect for ideas, very little willingness to think differently and great denial that this is a problem!

Great meetings are thought about, planned and designed and people recognize that work takes place. But that takes work, to not only create, but to get others to recognize it as well. So we need to clear up why we are having a meetings and what the outcome should be.

A "conversation for possibility" is a brainstorming session. This is often done in 4-H as they starting process for a project or program. We often know what we want to accomplish, but we need to cover the bases before we can start working.

The "conversation for opportunity" could be a real "meat and potatoes" type of meeting. Everyone has done their homework and brought detailed information and now it's time to decide what's realistic. In 4-H, we've used this as the opportunity to discuss our foodstand at the fair. What are the dreams we've had for remodeling and now what's really an option based on funds, materials available and labor?

A "conversation for action" could be a budget meeting where now that you the information, you must make a decision and commit to getting the project done within a specified dollar amount.

These three different kinds of meetings can result in very different atmospheres at the meeting. Personally, my least favorite meeting is a brainstorming session because they seem to never end. Everyone has a story to tell about when Aunt Martha tried that or how Uncle George never succeeded at that. I always prefer getting to the meat and potatoes about what is realistic or within budget and especially the making a decision and moving toward a result.

I loved this article and see so much potential for our next cluster meeting. I plan to take this article along and have everyone read it - my notes and all! I know everyone is at a different comfort zone in a meeting and has different ideas about what makes them successful, but if we can have a conversation and set some goals together, we are bound to see results that everyone can feel good about.

I am not sure I dare ask 4-H folks how they feel about meetings. I can hear everything from do away with all of them to let's have more! I think what I need to do is put more thought into what results are needed. I already construct the meetings by thinking them through, designing and creating agendas, but I don't often think about what I want people to leave thinking or feeling. I also need to evaluate the meeting from a different perspective than time and how long it lasted. Asking for opinions and getting feedback on format would be helpful for those attending as well.

-- Anonymous, March 18, 1999

Answers

Excellent job of relating this article to your work with Extension. It is great to see that you have a plan to implement this meeting strategy. Have you been able to make it work at your job yet?

Nathan Johnson also read this article and made some comments. You may want to discuss your new meeting strategy with him.

Keep up the good work!

-- Anonymous, May 20, 1999