Nine Tips for Running Meetings ... And Staying Off That Road to Abilene

Too many business meetings are a waste of time. They're often without effective facilitation and sometimes consumed by pontification that erodes productivity and motivation. 

Poorly run meetings can make matters worse by neglecting to focus on needed decision making or choosing courses of action that nobody supports.

What's that, you actually didn't want to go to Abilene for lunch? The late management guru Jerry B. Harvey was an expert on the management of agreement. He built a cottage industry with his "Abilene Paradox," which is the story of family members who all agreed to take a trip to Abilene for lunch. It sounded like a wonderful idea. In truth, however, it was a long, miserable drive and nobody enjoyed the experience. After the fact, everyone admitted they never really wanted to go to Abilene in the first place. They just didn't want to "rock the boat" and veto something they assumed others wanted to do. Sound like some business meetings you've attended? 

Want an effective meeting? Well, start by asking whether a meeting is really needed in the first place. If holding a meeting is warranted, keep your team off that road to Abilene by: 1) creating a specific but brief agenda, 2) facilitating the session well, 3) staying on topic sequentially, 4) engaging participants inclusively, 5) detouring around bloviators, 6) challenging assumptions, 7) giving colleagues appropriate opportunities to rock the boat, 8) assigning action items, deadlines and responsible parties, and 9) summarizing key agreements and conclusions.