Kevin Cain is a CPA and partner at Cain Ellsworth. He provides clients with tax and management consulting services. Kevin has concentrated expertise working with financial institutions, manufacturers and contractors in a broad range of functions, including facilitating executive, process improvement and business strategy sessions. Kevin is currently a member of Mindshop and is working towards his Accredited Mindshop Facilitator designation. Thanks, Kevin, for your contribution to our blog.
Conducting Effective Meetings
By Kevin Cain
All of us have experienced the frustration of unproductive meetings. I have both conducted and attended many such meetings and would like to offer some tools that I believe will increase your chances of avoiding them in the future. I try to ask three questions when considering any work project:
- Is this necessary?
- Who should do it?
- Is there a better way?
With these questions, in mind I offer the attached tools for use in planning and conducting meetings. The tools are a one page planning questionnaire and checklist, a sample agenda, and a sample “Rules of Engagement”.
Since this is my blog entry I want to bring up a pet peeve. I believe it is critical that leaders ask participants to give up the right to remain silent. If an individual consistently refuses to actively participate, are they adding value in the meeting? I would answer no.
I hope you find something of value in these tools. To download the tools, simply click on the link below.
