4 Steps to Running a Successful Meeting

When you hear the word “meeting” do you groan?

Many people do, and they shouldn’t. Meetings are intended to allow a group to do something that couldn’t be done alone. Meetings allow for communicating, administering and deciding.

The problem is often in the structure and length of the meeting. I attend many meetings. The most successful ones have five key elements in common:

1)      They have an agenda

2)      They start on time and end on time

3)      They stay on point

4)      They have action items for follow-up with identified due dates and responsible parties.

Agenda An agenda provides purpose and structure to the meeting. Distributing the agenda in advance of the meeting enables participants to prepare. For the meeting organizer, it provides focus and direction.

Time Meetings should start on time. It’s disrespectful to those who do arrive on time. If you are known for starting your meetings on time (and not repeating what you already said to the late arrivals), people will show up on time. Why should you start on time? So you can end on time. People have busy schedules. It’s important to respect that they have other commitments. I serve on several boards. I’ve met some great people and enjoy catching up with them. The time to do that, though, is before or after the meeting. Not during.

Stay on point It’s easy for meetings to derail if the discussion goes off point. Use the agenda to stay on track. Summarize key points and ask for agreement. Acknowledge constructive contributions.

Action items Most meetings are intended to bring about a decision. If it does, the next step is to determine a due date and who is responsible for implementing the decision or next step. Too often, that piece gets left undone and the next thing you know, you’re having another meeting to figure out.

Bonus Here is a bonus tip for running a successful meeting: Be sure to thank members for their participation and contributions.

Super Bowl Ads Score

Commercials are a fun part of the Super Bowl. In fact, the commercials are so popular that they’re now getting plenty of airtime on the Internet and way in advance of the game. You can vote for your favorite, share it with friends and still be able to get another serving of wings before the game resumes.

If you want to now more about the ads, AdWeek wrote a great piece.

One of my favorites is Honda’s take on one of my favorite movies, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Be sure to watch it to the end.

After the big game, let me know what your favorite commercial was.

3 Ways to Improve Your LinkedIn Profile

The other evening I was approving members for the NFPW group on LinkedIn and deleting some individuals who are not members of NFPW. The NFPW LinkedIn group is a closed group, meaning it is open only to members of NFPW.

For a communications group that seems a bit odd, but we had to do it because we were receiving so many solicitations. Many of the conversations had nothing to do with communications and the mission of NFPW.

I realized as I was checking names that it would be helpful if members included a profile picture. I may not have had conversations with everyone I come in contact with at national conferences, but I do have a good memory for faces. Also, because it’s a professional site, I’m left wondering why a person doesn’t want their photo included.

That led me to think what else you can do to improve your profile.

Post at least once a month. Speaking of conversation, I often hear, “I don’t have time to be on LinkedIn every day. It’s hard enough being on Facebook.” No one is saying you have to update every day on LinkedIn. Providing an update every few weeks is good because when you update your profile, an update is shared with everyone in your network. It’s a good way to get yourself noticed. If you blog or tweet, use a widget to automatically pull in your posts or tweets so others can see what you are saying.

Explain what you do. When you share your career highlights, provide more than your job title. As with any resume, you want to describe your role and explain how you helped your organization. This will help set you apart with all the other members who have the job title of “reporter” or “communications specialist,” for example.

Grow your connections. Each time someone hands you a business card, update your LinkedIn connections by adding that person. It’s an easy way to keep up with your contacts. Once you have several connections, join LinkedIn groups, including NFPW. It’s a simple way to meet other relevant contacts.

Who are you going to link with today?

3 Reasons to Join NFPW

I sometimes use Yammer, the free private social network for companies, at work. It recently sent out an email touting reasons to use it. As I read the reasons, I realized they are the reasons to be a member of NFPW and your state affiliate. They include:

  1. Connect with colleagues
  2. Collaborate more effectively
  3. Share your knowledge

Connect with colleagues: Through NFPW you can find experts and tap into their knowledge. The key, of course, is reaching out to other members and getting to know them. During the 2011 conference we hosted a POWER Networking session where members had two minutes to share their professional stories. Members came away with information about each other and a stack of business cards for follow-up. We hope to do the same during the 2012 conference.

State affiliates also hold meetings and workshops. In Virginia we also have district meetings, which allow us to connect with a smaller group of members, providing opportunities for more in-depth conversations.

Collaborate more effectively: While Yammer was referring to online collaboration, NFPW also provides such opportunities. NFPW is active on Facebook and LinkedIn, which allow for quick and easy discussions. A recent discussion focused on whether bloggers should be considered journalists. We also share job openings and recently  members reached out to others asking for “likes” on their Facebook pages for their books or magazines. If someone is looking for information quickly, our social sharing sites are an ideal spot to get the information.

Share your knowledge: Again, Yammer was referencing sharing online through Yammer, but NFPW offers several ways to share knowledge. Members post on Facebook and LinkedIn. Members also share stories through a quarterly newsletter and the website. Not only are members sharing their expertise, they are being recognized for their contributions. During last year’s conference NFPW conference several members, including Ruth Brown of Nebraska Press Women and Jill Miller of Wichita Professional Communicators, shared their expertise during workshops.

What do you get from your membership and how can we leverage that with potential members?

Have You Thanked Your Mentor?

I serve on the board of Virginia Mentoring Partnership. Our mission is to provide educational services to existing and developing mentoring programs to increase the number and quality of mentoring relationships for children and youth in Virginia.

Mentors are great guides. (Photo by Cynthia Price)

While preparing materials for National Mentoring Month, which is the month of January, our board also discussed a highlight of the month — Thank Your Mentor DayTM, which is celebrated tomorrow.

It’s a day to reach out and thank those individuals who have encouraged and guided you.  I’ve been blessed throughout my career to have several mentors. I also mentor and have participated in several communications mentorships through the Richmond chapter of PRSA.

 

Thank Your Mentor Day promotes four ways to honor your mentor, including:

  1. Contact your mentor directly to express your appreciation;
  2. Pass on what you received by becoming a mentor to a young person in your community;
  3. Make a financial contribution to a local mentoring program; and
  4. Write a tribute to your mentor for posting on the “Who Mentor You?” website.

A mentor is described as a wise and trusted counselor or teacher or an influential senior sponsor or supporter. Who has mentored you and how have they impacted your life?