Meeting Size

            The larger a meeting is, the harder it is to accomplish anything. It must, however, be large enough to give a voice to everyone involved in the decision-making process. A meeting that is too small will have too few voices, and, as a result, it will probably produce too few suggestions.  You also need to make sure that those you want committed to any decisions will be there, if possible.

            In the same way that you want to keep out the people who will just be in the way, you have to make sure that you have everyone you need.

            Of course, at times you will run into situations where people will expect, and sometimes even demand, inclusion because they have a “right” to be there because of their expertise or position, regardless of any actual need for their presence. Conversely, at times people you need or want will not attend because they have other commitments, or because of their rank or position, they do not have to—they can just say no.

            So “who” you get to attend will obviously depend upon a number of factors, some of them within your control, and some that you have no control over whatsoever:

• What you are trying to accomplish;

• The sort of information or expertise you need;

• The sort of information or expertise that is available to you;

• The sort of attendance you can request or order;

• Scheduling;

• Time constraints,

• Budgetary considerations.

            All of these factors will let you determine who is in your “meeting pool”—those people on whom you could call. Out of these you need to pick the actual participants. The question to ask yourself is: What is the fewest number of people possible that will represent all the factors that need to be considered?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

2. Types of Meetings and Their Sizes

                       Consultant, trainers, and others who regularly deal with meetings and meeting effectiveness say that different types of meetings work best with different numbers of participants. Here are their numbers, and the reasons for them.

            1)         Decision making and problem solving:

                       These work best with five or seven people—but, generally, not six. In fact, whatever number you choose, make it an odd one if you can. You don’t want a meeting that can be deadlocked when trying to come to a decision. There are enough problems with getting a group of people to come to a decision without adding the possibility of a vote being a tie.

                       You also want as small a number as possible to make sure that everyone’s opinion is heard, but broad enough to make sure that all the various people and groups impacted by the situation are represented.  

  See also:  Is There Really a Problem?  Guideline: 10 steps to take in defining a problem  Guidelines on How to Put Solutions To Work   

            2)         Problem identification:

                       These usually work better with eight to 10 people, as long as all of them are familiar with the situation and can be counted on to figure out what the problem is. You do not to have everyone who is impacted by the problem, but all those departments or divisions that are impacted should be represented.         It can be helpful to choose participants more for their problem-solving skills than for their position or seniority.

                       If you have had similar problems in the past, you might want to include some of the people who dealt with those problems in your meeting, but do not get trapped into thinking that whatever solved a past problem will also solve the current one.

5)        Informational Meetings:

                       As with interactive and training sessions, the size limit will depend upon a number of factors, a few of which are similar:

·       The complexity of the information;

·       The amount of information participants want or need;

·       Number of people providing the information, and the way in which it is provided—handouts, slides, video clips, DVDs, and such;

·       Number of questions and amount of feedback;

·       Whether the audience is “friendly” or interested;

·       Time available.

In most cases, informational meetings can comfortably handle between 20 to 30 people, sometimes even more, especially when presenting information to outside organizations , community groups, and government bodies.

Making presentations to government councils, agencies, or committees and all of the people involved with them usually requires extra time, preparation, and flexibility.

6)         Formal Presentations:

            The only limits here are the size of the room and the presenter’s ability to make sure that everyone in the room can clearly see, hear, and understand what is being said. As a result, technology can play an important role, here. Another factor is the number of handouts or other leave-behind material there is, if any.

5. Establishing Ground Rules

            Meetings are governed by rules. Since the rules can change from organization to organization, department-to- department, and even meeting-to-meeting, it is important that everyone involved knows exactly what those rules are.

            These rules govern the type of participation expected, how closely the agenda has to be followed, the time allowed, the ways in which people are chosen to speak (and for how long), how they are addressed, and all the other aspects of personal contact, communication, and interaction that can either contribute to or hinder the overall success of the meeting.

            If the meeting is expected to come to any sort of decision or make a formal recommendation, the way in which it does so must also be spelled out—such as voting. Should it be a show of hands, a “secret ballot,” and does everyone at the meeting have a vote? If not, who does and who does not?

            For that matter, who gets to talk for or against an issue? Can anyone at the meeting do so? Or just those who can vote?

            There are a number of methods that can be used to determine how decisions will be reached.

·      Majority Rule: In situations where the meeting has only two options to choose between, the one with the most votes wins. (This is why this sort of meeting generally works best with an odd number of participants.)

·      Highest Total: If there are more than two choices, there are usually two options:

1.      The alternative with the most votes wins.

2.      A series of votes is held and the lowest-scoring alternative is dropped after each ballot. It is up to the group to decide if it will allow more discussion between ballots. When the group is down to just two choices, the majority rules.

·      Straw Vote: These are non-binding votes designed to get a sense of how the group feels about a specific issue or alternative. It can be used to remove items from the final selection process.

·      Weighted Ranking: Each participant has 100 points to divide among alternatives. Perhaps one member gives 70 points to Option A, 20 to Option B, and 10 to Option C. When all the points are counted, the one with the highest score wins.  Again, this is also a method for eliminating low ranked options and focusing on those are ranked high

·      Ranking: Each participant ranks the options and the one receiving the highest average ranking wins.

·      Consensus: Everyone at the meeting must agree to adopt one particular option. This, obviously, can often take the most time, and often requires some “changes” or conditions being applied to the option that is chosen. Consensus does not mean that the agreement is unanimous, only that, after discussing the issues, one option emerges that most of the participants favor and that all can accept.

·      In Principle: Even though the entire group cannot come to an agreement on all the specific details, the group can agree on certain general details or principles. It is the principle that is adopted, not a specific proposal.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

7. Participation

            If meetings are going to accomplish their goals, the people attending them have to participate effectively. If you are leading or facilitating a meeting, part of your job is to make sure that they do. This doesn’t mean that everyone has to speak for the same amount of time. What it means is that everyone has to be heard. Sometimes this will require you to control those people who want to dominate a meeting, and cajole or encourage the less talkative to speak their mind.

            While individual members do not need equal time, the various points of view being considered do. Here are some ideas for doing that:

• Ask open-ended questions instead of closed-end questions. Closed-end questions can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no.” An open-ended question requires more thought and forces people to express themselves more completely.

• Speak the common language. Use terms and words everyone will understand. Don’t show off, or use language you think they “should” understand.

• Put the matters being discussed in real terms. Use your own relevant life experiences—not just work experiences—to make or explain points, and encourage others to do the same.

• Get reactions. When someone says something, ask others to share their reaction to what was said, and offer their own commentary or interpretation.

• If you are leading the meeting make sure you facilitate it. Do not dominate it.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

8. Meeting “Facts”

            There are hard “facts,” such as 1 + 1 = 2 and E = MC², and there are soft “facts,” such as you always spill marinara sauce on yourself when you’re wearing white, and there never is a police officer around when you really need one.

            While “hard” facts are scientifically true, “soft” facts are true often enough so that they should be treated as rules. In their book, Developing Management Skills, David Whetten and Kim Cameron have compiled some of the most commonly accepted soft “facts” of meetings as well.

            Most of the following are geared to “regular” meetings—weekly, monthly, whatever. Some also apply to special meetings.

·        The Rule Of Sixths: Two thirds—or four sixths—of the meeting should focus on the current items on the agenda. One of the two remaining sixths should deal with past agenda items and any follow-up actions that had been called for. The final sixth should deal with future agenda items, with what you’ll be dealing with in future meetings.

·        Rule of Thirds: All meetings are broken down into three parts.

1.      Start-up period handles minor details and give people a chance to get settled, and for latecomers to arrive. This is where instructional information and items should go.

2.      Heavy work period is when the serious work gets done. This is when decisions are made. Participants should make the easy decisions first and work their way up through the harder ones. The most important or controversial item on the decision portion of the agenda is discussed last.

3.      Decompression period is when things wind down. Discussion items are handled here, as are plans for future meetings.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

9. Meeting “Facts” (Continued)

·        The Reports Rule: Few participants have time to read all the reports that fill a meeting’s agenda. As a result, reports should come with either an Executive Summary or a Options Memo to reduce the amount of paper shuffling that goes on during the meeting, and reduce time wasted trying to speed read or skim through a report for its contents:

1.      Executive Summary highlights the key points of the report, as well as the conclusions. It is like reading a brief newspaper report.

2.      Options Memo summarizes the options that will be discussed and decided upon.

·     The Rule of Halves: For regular meetings, agendas should come out halfway between the last meeting and the next one. So, if there is a meeting on the 1^st of every month, the agenda for the next one should come out on the 15^th. If there is a meeting every Monday, the agenda for the next one should be out on Wednesday.

·     The Rule of Three Quarters: For a regular meeting, the packets of information related to a meeting—reports, charts, proposals, etc., and the minutes of the last meeting—should come out three-quarters of the way between meeting. For a regular Monday meeting, for example, the agenda would come out Wednesday and the information packets on Thursday.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

10. Commandments of Meeting Etiquette

            It is just as important to be prepared as an effective participant in a meeting as it is to be prepared as the convener of a meeting.  Gary M. Smith, founder of the Chatgris Press, in New Orleans, Louisiana, has developed 11 commandments for attending project/programme purpose meetings:

1.      RSVP: If people need to know if you will be there, let them know in advance.

2.      Arrive Early: If you can’t be a few minutes early, at least be on time. Showing up late is disruptive, and you may miss something important.

3.      Come Prepared: Be familiar with the agenda and anything else that you’ll need to talk about, and make sure you have something to write with, and on.

4.      Do Not Interrupt: Let the speaker talk. Talk when it is your turn to talk.

5.      Abstain From Electronics: Turn your cell phone and pager off, or at least set them to vibrate silently.

6.      Speak in Turn: If you have a question, or want to make a comment, raise your hand and wait until you are recognized.

7.      Keep Your Questions Brief: If it is complicated, break it into separate parts.

8.      Pay Attention: You don’t want to waste the meeting’s time by asking a question that has already been dealt with, or is covered in the agenda, or handouts.

9.      Be Patient and Calm: Do not fidget or cause any sort of disruption.

10.  Attend the Entire Meeting: Leaving early is disruptive and disrespectful.

11.  Respond to Action Items: Make sure you do what is expected of you as a result of the meeting; filing notes, taking action, responding to questions, etc.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~