How many times have you met with someone, and the meeting went in a different direction than you intended?
How many times did you feel like you and the person or people you were meeting with were just not on the same page?
There are only 2 agenda items that need to be on your list to ensure an exponential increase in the productivity of your meetings.
- PLAN THE BEGINNING TO BEGIN THE PLAN
Sounds simplistic, but good old-fashioned planning the “objective of the meeting…. the reason for the meeting” in ONE, SIMPLE, CLEAR, CONCISE sentence will go a long way. Many have gotten away from this practice as if it is a “given”, but watch how your productivity increases when you:
- Write your meeting objective in one sentence
- Begin the sentence with “The reason we are meeting is to….”
One sentence, and the beginning sentence insure it is easy to understand, easy to stay on task, and most importantly, “The reason we are meeting is to….” Becomes measurable at the end. It allows you to answer, “Did we accomplish what we set out to accomplish”
Avoid:
“The reason we are meeting is to build rapport”
“The reason we are meeting is to establish credibility”
Try:
“The reason we are meeting is to confirm who the decision maker is”
“The reason we are meeting is to leave with a sample of their flux capacitor”
Having something that is a measurable and tangible result when you leave, insures you do what you intended to do, and this not only increases productivity, but it also demonstrates the value you place on your time, and on the time of the person you meet with.
2. INSPECT WHAT YOU EXPECT
Get in the practice of another good old-fashioned practice I call a “curb side critique”. It is simply the practice of measuring IF you accomplished what you intended to accomplish. So, did you confirm who the decision maker is? Did you leave with a sample of the flux capacitor?
Do your curb side critique on your own or have someone join you in the meeting and help with the critique. It will increase the productivity and output of your post call analysis, changing the conversation from “How did I do?” to “Did I accomplish what I intended to accomplish?”
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