One of the Best Meetings I’ve Attended
What made a regular staff meeting extraordinary?
Last week, I participated in one of the best meetings I’ve ever attended. This routine, monthly meeting left me inspired to do the work that I do (Catholic education) and left everyone in attendance encouraged to keep on with their particular roles. It was that good.
As someone who regularly attends 15-20 meetings per week, this meeting stood out.
Many meetings are dry. Some are unnecessary. Some are unclear as to their purpose. Unfortunately, when we participate in a meeting that is unnecessary or unclear or poorly run, it’s like a withdrawal in our bank account. We are somehow “less” than before. Sadly, we have become so used to these experiences that we become numb to bad meetings, as if they are the norm.
That this one meeting was so good bears some reflection.
What was it that made this one meeting stand out? I offer five qualities that contributed to that meeting’s success:
Clear purpose. The particular meeting only happens once a month and is scheduled for our two teams who work in both education and evangelization. I took 60 seconds at the start of the meeting to remind everyone about the purpose of the meeting. This allowed folks to be more present and know which types of items to discuss (or not).
Regular cadence. As the meeting occurs monthly, we start with Holy Mass and then have our meeting. The once-a-month(ness) along with the prayer component really makes sense as we’re bringing two teams together for a high-level discussion. I describe it as a family meeting to see “who is on first base”. Are we all on the same page? Any big ticket items we all need to be aware of?
A special guest. There’s nothing like a special guest to add some real value to a meeting. In this particular meeting, I invited the Mass celebrant (a dynamic priest in our Diocese) to share a few words with the group. He was brief and to the point and very encouraging. It landed well. When he finished, he left. Very nicely done. Just enough.
Opening discussion. After I reminded the group of our purpose and enjoyed the words from our guest, I led us in an opening discussion. (I of course told them what the agenda was before we launched into the conversation.) We went around the table (about 10 of us) and shared either a challenge or a “win” from the past two weeks. Person after person shared a moment that put a smile on their face or a struggle that they were dealing with.
Genuinely interpersonal interaction. All meetings have talking but some offer truly human moments of interaction. This meeting was the latter, with team members commenting on one another’s remarks. Questions were asked. Affirmations were shared. It was very human, very real. They like each other and respect one another.
Not every meeting can be like this. Some are very tactical, others quite serious. That’s ok. We hold a variety of techniques for a variety of meetings.
But for just a few days afterwards, I was left savoring this particular meeting, thanking God for my team and the ways in which we get to serve the People of God.
What can you do for your next team meeting to make sure that it’s of real value to your team?