Well, as Empress of the Universe, I feel it is my duty to put an end to that. There may not be any cure for stupidity, but we can do things to protect ourselves from its worst ravages.
First of all, if you're going to call a meeting, make sure you know why. If you don't know what you expect to get out of the meeting, it's a sure bet that nobody else will, either. Don't call a meeting to discuss something. Call a meeting to produce a result.
If you invite a group of busy, stressed-out people to give you a chunk of their precious time, you'd better give them something to show for it besides empty cans of Diet Coke and Red Bull or you will have shot yourself in the foot, productivity-wise and you'll become about as popular as a head cold.
Here are some ideas to save you from rookie mistakes:
1 Have an Agenda
It doesn't have to be formal or fancy or long. It does have to be available to attendees when you send out the invitation so they can prepare themselves. If you need attendees to bring things to the meeting, like their laptops or printed materials, tell them that in the invitation, too.2 Have a Tough Facilitator
Facilitators guide the meeting toward producing the results that the attendees are expecting. They follow the agenda and ensure that the meeting time is spent on appropriate discussions and not eaten up by arguments that need to be taken offline or individuals competing for the last word.
3 Record the Results of the Meeting
You don't need to have formal minutes that record every word said by everyone at the meeting, but if decisions are made, they need to be recorded AND everybody affected by the decision needs to be made aware of that fact. If Bob missed the meeting, but in his absence he has been made responsible for creating 27 mock-ups to show the customer by Thursday, somebody had better tell him.
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