How to Hold More Effective Meetings: A Guide to Purpose-Driven Conversations

Meetings are essential for collaboration, but not all meetings are created equal. Knowing how to hold a purposeful and focused meeting can save time, create clarity, and drive action. Let’s walk through the importance of identifying the meeting’s purpose, three key types of meetings, and practical tips for leading effectively.

Purpose is Your North Star

Purpose is your guiding focus for every meeting. It dictates who should attend, what should be on the agenda, and how the meeting should flow. Before adding an item to the agenda, always ask: Does this serve the meeting’s purpose? If it doesn’t, consider shifting your focus or saving the topic for a more appropriate time.

A clear purpose prevents scope creep—the tendency for unrelated issues to pop up and derail the meeting. Keeping everything aligned with the meeting's purpose helps the conversation remain organized and actionable.

Three Common Meeting Types

1. Decision Making

The primary purpose of decision-making meetings is, as the name implies, to make decisions. But here’s the catch: you must have the right people in the room. Without the necessary participants, decision-making becomes inefficient or impossible. It's essential to ensure the right team members are present so the meeting can fulfill its purpose. If you can't reach a decision in the meeting because a critical person is missing, that meeting's purpose is lost.

2. Creative Solutions and Coordination

This type of meeting is designed for brainstorming, idea generation, and laying the groundwork for future decisions. It’s the space where innovation happens and plans begin to take shape. Meetings of this nature are collaborative, requiring the input, expertise, and perspectives of the entire team. As a leader, this is where you set the stage for a group to share ideas freely, without jumping too quickly to conclusions or decisions.

3. Information Sharing

Not every meeting needs to be interactive. Sometimes, the goal is simply to share important information. However, there’s a crucial decision to make here: do you even need a meeting? If the information could be effectively communicated via email, a meeting may not be necessary. But when there’s a flurry of email threads with different recipients or when the information is sensitive, a meeting ensures that everyone hears the same message at the same time.

Tips for Leading Any Meeting

Create Actionable Objectives

Every meeting objective should be actionable and results oriented. For decision-making meetings, clearly state, "We are making the following decisions today." For creative solutions meetings, set a goal: "We need feedback on these three areas." For information-sharing meetings, define the action steps individuals or groups need to take once the information is shared.

Ask Questions

One of the most valuable pieces of advice I’ve received as a leader is this: any time you’re tempted to make a statement, ask a question instead. Why? Because when you make a statement as a leader, it can shut down other people’s ideas. For example, if I say, "I think we should approach this project in this way," it’s much harder for someone to disagree with me. But if I ask, "What do you think is the best approach for this project?" it opens the door for more perspectives to emerge.

A great tactic, especially in creative and decision-making meetings, is to let your team share their thoughts before you give your own. This ensures that the conversation isn’t unduly influenced by your opinion from the outset.

Keep Cell Phones Away

Research shows that even the presence of a cell phone can lower the perceived quality of a conversation. When phones are visible, participants feel less engaged, even if the phones are not being used. So, when possible, keep phones out of sight to foster deeper connections and more meaningful discussions.

Set Ground Rules

Establish clear ground rules for both behavior and procedure. For instance, agreeing on how to handle off-topic comments can keep the meeting focused. Additionally, as a facilitator, your behavior sets the tone. Be mindful of your reactions to dissenting opinions or ideas that might not align with your own. Creating a safe space for differing viewpoints encourages more robust discussion and leads to better outcomes.

Encourage Pre-reading and Preparation

Providing pre-read materials or pre-work is essential for some team members who may need time to process their thoughts before the meeting. Giving everyone time to think ahead allows for richer contributions and more productive conversations.

Leading with Purpose

Ultimately, as a meeting facilitator, your role is to guide the conversation with purpose and clarity. Whether the goal is decision-making, creative coordination, or information-sharing, always start by defining the meeting's purpose, ensure the right people are present, and stay on course. By doing so, your meetings will be not only more efficient but also more impactful.