Meetings, like super powers, have great potential for good but can also be used to drain the life out of everyone.
We recently discussed how you can avoid over-attending and under-attending youth work meetings. Today, we’re going to cover how to make sure that the meetings you have to attend are as productive as possible. Some of these might be easier if you’re the one facilitating the meeting, but there are still things you can do to make any meeting more productive.
Use an Agenda
When facilitating a meeting, create a list of the things you plan to cover during the meeting and ask for any input from other attendees on items that they would like to see included.
If you’re attending a meeting, ask about the agenda about a week beforehand. You’ve now created the expectation of an agenda, even if the facilitator hadn’t thought about it. This needs to be requested in a professional manner, but if you’re new to a meeting group it provides the perfect opportunity to use your ignorance as an excuse and work off the expectation that they always provide an agenda.
If you already attend a meeting group that doesn’t use an agenda, bring it up at the meeting and focus on the benefits of being able to get more done when everyone can be prepared beforehand for the meeting.
Come Prepared
Don’t just turn up at a meeting planning to listen, unless that is solely your reason for attending. Most meetings are held to work towards a project, funding opportunity or to provide an update. In all of these cases you can prepare ahead of time.
Check the agenda for items that you’ve made progress on. Create a document that provides your ideas, feedback or updates and make enough copies for everyone in the meeting. If you have action points from a previous meeting to report on, make sure you outline the outcomes and barriers you experienced.
Focus on Action
Don’t let the meeting become a big discussion about every point. Create focus by identifying action points and requesting action points for each item. Document all the action points that you’re responsible for and schedule time to accomplish them. Ensure that there is time for feedback in the next meeting agenda. Then create a report or make notes on your meeting minutes about your outcomes and barriers to share at the next youth work meeting.
As you can see, these steps are cyclical. You create the plan, prepare the work, do the work then plan to feedback on the work, so you can plan the next work, prepare it and do it… and so on.
Your youth work meetings will be much more effective when you can feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of each one. Any partners attending meetings will also feel as if they aren’t having their time wasted, which can only serve to improve your relationships with them as well.
Question: What would you suggest to make youth work meetings more productive? Share your ideas in the comments below.
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