Need a briefing on the basics of running a meeting effectively? Look no further.
Running Meetings is one of the volumes in the 20 Minute Manager series created by the editors at Harvard Business Review Press.
About 90 pages in length, prepared in collaboration with several experts who are identified, each volume provides essential material in the form of a crash course or brief reminder, “a concise practical primer that will help you brush up on a key management topic.”
The purpose of each is to provide a briefing on the basics of an important business activity.
It is NOT a comprehensive examination such as Kathleen Haas and Alice Zivala’s excellent The Art and Power of Facilitation: Running Powerful Meetings. That book deserves its Five Star rating for an abundance of information, insights, and counsel.
Running Meetings is a NOT an anthology of 10-12 HBR articles in their entirety.
Rather, it authors suggest, “Whether you are new to running meetings or seasoned executive with no time to waste, leading effective (even pleasant) meetings is a must. Running Meetings guides you through basics.”
For example, when
o Crafting a useful agenda
My comment: Focus on what to do, not on what to “think about” doing
o Inviting the right team members
My comment: All team members do not need to attend all meetings.
o Making sure everyone’s voice is heard while avoiding conflict.
My comment: OK, but I always encourage principled and relevant dissent.
o Capturing decisions, ideas, and follow-up tasks.
My comment: Accurate and detailed notes are always more reliable than anyone’s memory.
If you need more substantial guidance, there are other sources to consider, including aforementioned The Art and Power of Facilitation as well as others recommended on pages 105-109.
The list price is $12.95 for the paperback edition but Amazon sells it in several formats and editions for less. The return on a modest investment will be limited only by how hard and how smart each reader applies effectively relevant material.
One final point: There are no group discussion issues. Only business issues.