The Seven Sins of Deadly Meetings By: Kristopher Fischer

Introduction Deadly meetings = Inefficient meetings Very costly Bad for companies More and more companies are team- based

Sin #1: Not Taking Meetings Seriously Examples: Showing up late, talking about non-business related topics, trying to get out of meeting, etc. Solution: attain mindset that meeting are important Methods: management training course,

Sin #2: Long Meetings Meeting costs accrue the longer the meeting Recommended length: less than 90 minutes Technology –Meetingware: allows people to speek whenever they want instead of waiting their turn. –Meeting meter (Bernard DeKoven) –Drawback: can increase meeting length.

Sin #3: Lack of focus Irrelevant information is brought up that draws attention away from the matter(s) at hand. Requires attendees to discipline themselves to remain on topic.

Sin #4: Lack of implementation Solution: Convert from “meeting” to “doing” and focus on common documents Make sure everyone knows what needs to be done

Sin #5: Veiled/Misrepresented Opinions People sometimes don’t tell the truth Solution: establish a system of anonymity –Potential problem: those who forward ideas might not get credit

Sin #6: Lack of Crucial Information Decision that is vital to the discussion is not available. –Meetings held in isolated areas to help eliminate distractions. Technology offers new ways to conduct meetings that doesn’t restrict information flow. –Virtual meeting rooms –Data retrieval

Sin #7: Recurring Errors Meetings never get better. People make the same mistakes. Practice makes perfect –Keep what works –Eliminate what doesn’t work Make sure those who participate know of behavior that doesn’t work

Benefits Reduce the cost of meetings Increase efficiency and productivity of meetings –Faster data access –Promote ideas without fear of repercussions –Inspires people to implement what was discussed