Meeting length proportional to agenda

…you are to make an important and complex decision that affects many people across the organization.

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You want to invest the proper amount of time to investigate a key issue and its resolution.

Forces

• Time frames for effective and efficient action-oriented dialogs are proportionally shorter when you have:
  • a narrowly focused agenda;
  • many others who have already spent time working on key issues; and/or
  • the objective is non-controversial but not well understood.
  • In such cases, you seek:
    • shared agreement;
    • the next steps people will take; and
    • structures for moving forward.

Therefore:

Match the gathering’s length to its agenda and goal.

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Sources

• Don’t just do something, stand there!—Ten Principles for Leading Meetings That Matter by Marvin Weisbord, Sandra Janoff