Getting the Most Out of Meetings: How to Start

on July 8th, 2009

There’s no doubt meetings are an important part of the life of a youth worker. Some are must-attend, some you really can’t or shouldn’t avoid. In most cases, any chance you get time with your pastor is valuable. Any chance you have to spend time with elders or board members is incredibly valuable.

Having said all of that – sometimes I get frustrated spending too much time in meetings. Plain and simple – death by meeting is totally possible. Here’s the first of a quick little blog series on meetings – first up, how to start a meeting:

Have an Agenda
Know what you’re wanting to get out of a meeting before you call for it. A meeting begins long before the time everyone finally gets together. Make sure you’ve processed the topics and agenda items so you run the meeting and it doesn’t end up runnig you. And if  you can email it, email it and skip the meeting!

Start on Time
When you call a meeting, make sure you honor everyone’s time by starting on time. Every time you start late, you train people to come even later, and you send the signal that what you have to say isn’t that important. It might be wise to start with some less-important stuff out of the gate, as you work to build this culture.

Begin with Affirmations
No matter what topic you’re covering, there is a heart attitude to affirm or a history to recognize. Start by bragging on some people if it fits the tenor of the meeting.

Recognize Who Isn’t There
Getting everyone together at the same time probably just isn’t possible, but as a leader you want to make sure that everyone is still in the loop. Make sure you have a plan for people who couldn’t attend – don’t keep them in the dark for longer than a day if possible. Usually a summary email and an option for a quick face-to-face if necessary.

What other advice do you have for youth workers about starting a meeting right?

JG

Comments (4)

Deech at 8:02pm July 8

There are some good articles at YMtoday.com on Volunteer Meetings. Here is a link to one on Meeting Musts. Another Good article is Four P’s.
http://ymtoday.com/article.php?aid=2113&page=article_list.php

Save Time by Training Your Volunteers Together | Ministry Allies at 6:44pm September 1

[...] couple of posts over at More Than Dodgeball: Getting the Most out of Meetings: How to Start and Getting the Most out of Meetings: When to [...]