Principles of a good meeting culture
Within this short article we would like to go into the principles of a good meeting culture again. You may already be familiar with the content of the article and many of the points will not be new to you, but it is certainly good to recall the principles once again and, if necessary, to compare them with your own working methods and then adapt them.
In the follow-up, we would like to transfer the principles of a good meeting culture in face-to-face meetings to the world of virtual meetings and derive them.
Principles of a good meeting culture: face-to-face meeting
Before the appointment:
- The organizer writes the goal of the event
- The organizer writes the agenda
- The organizer books a suitable room
- Ensure that the meeting starts on time (as organizer go to the room early and prepare the hardware)
During the appointment:
Clearly communicate the expectations for the meeting
Do not lose sight of the goal of the meeting
Conduct only topic-related discussions
Resolve problems and conflicts regarding the execution of the appointment in a goal-oriented manner.
The appointment ends on time. If the topic has not yet been finally clarified, an invitation to the follow-up meeting is issued
Definition of next steps
Documentation of all resulting activities and to order the responsibilities
After the appointment:
- Follow-up of the meeting minutes
- Dispatch of the meeting minutes to all participants
- The responsible persons work through the documented tasks
Rules of conduct:
- Participants accept or decline the appointment. Preliminary acceptance does not create transparency for the organizer about actual participation
- Participants show up on time
- Participants know the agenda and prepare for the appointment accordingly
- Only one person speaks at a time, never more than one person in parallel, or there are no parallel discussions.
As you can see, there are a few things to keep in mind in order to plan and conduct a goal-oriented meeting and to bring it to a successful conclusion. This meeting discipline is also found in virtual meetings and is in my opinion even more aggravated, because the framework conditions for conducting the meeting make this more difficult.
Principles of a good meeting culture: virtual appointments
In principle, the rules mentioned above also apply to virtual appointments; in addition, the following points should be noted.
Before the appointment:
- The organizer provides a virtual meeting room, as well as dial-in data.
- The organizer opens the virtual meeting room a few minutes before the actual meeting starts to ensure that the technology is working properly.
During the meeting:
- Participants briefly introduce themselves by name once they have joined the meeting
After the meeting:
- Follow-up of the meeting minutes
- Dispatch of the meeting minutes to all participants
- The responsible persons work through the documented tasks
Rules of conduct:
- All participants who do not speak put themselves on “mute” in order to reduce background noise and, if necessary, disturbances.
The principles of a good meeting culture outlined here are intended to facilitate work and bring appointments to a conclusion in a goal-oriented manner. Please keep in mind that a good preparation as well as follow-up of an appointment also takes time. Therefore, as an organizer, you should plan enough time to be able to carry out the measures shown here. A good preparation and follow-up is already half the success!
If you have any further points to add to the list we have compiled, please let us know and send us your suggestion directly via the contact form!