Tired of unproductive and boring meetings at work? Look no further! We have 9 frameworks that can transform your meetings into productive and problem-solving sessions, helping you and your team collaborate efficiently and effectively. Get ready to revolutionize the way you think about meetings!
Here are the meeting frameworks that we'll cover in this article:
According to an HBR IdeaCast interview with Steven Rogelberg, a professor at UNC Charlotte,
30% to 50% of the hours we spend in meetings aren’t productive. 73% of people admit to doing other work during meetings; 90% report daydreaming. And 64% to 65% of managers say meetings keep them from work and deep thinking.
Do meetings have to be that bad?
Meetings are important for optimal decision-making in the workplace, but the archaic meeting formats we use haven't evolved with time, leading to an increase in the average time spent in meetings from 10 to 23 hours weekly!
With so much advice on improving meetings, it can be overwhelming, but here are 9 simple frameworks that can make meetings more fruitful and leave space for deep work and critical thinking.
The first step to improving your meeting quality is to first decide if there’s a need for one at all. The reason we have so many bad meetings is that most meetings could have been an email, a Slack huddle, a Google form, or an instant live poll.
So, before you send out an invite, think about whether you really need that meeting. Consider other creative ways to achieve your objective instead. To help you decide if a meeting is necessary, try the RAPID framework:
The RAPID framework avoids unnecessary meetings by evaluating the need for decision-making or stakeholder input, ensuring that the right people are involved for effective and efficient results.
To demonstrate, in a software development company, a team is working on a new feature for a mobile app. The project manager uses the RAPID framework to determine whether a meeting is necessary:
Here, the RAPID framework allows software teams to collaborate without meetings, saving time and resources while ensuring that all necessary input is considered for effective decision-making.
So, you've decided that a meeting is truly necessary!
Now clarify the meeting's purpose by setting clear guidelines and expected outcomes, which informs attendees of what to prepare for and helps everyone come in with the right frame of mind.
This meeting description formula used by Front (Purpose, Agenda, Limits, Decision) will help you write clear meeting descriptions and manage expectations:
The PALD framework ensures productive meetings with clear communication, active participation, and a focus on achieving specific outcomes for better overall results.
To illustrate, in a healthcare organization, the administration team is planning an annual conference for medical professionals. They use the PALD meeting framework to structure the planning meeting:
Using PALD, the administration team can efficiently plan a conference with topics covered, responsibilities assigned, and timelines established, while limits ensure decisions are made within the allotted time.
The GROW framework, which was initially designed for coaching by Sir John Whitmore and colleagues in the 1980s, is excellent in providing structure to meetings and guiding organized discussions.
GROW stands for Goal, Reality, Options, and the Way forward.
Start your meeting by setting a clear goal, which could be a topic for discussion or a review, using the SMART principle (Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Time-specific) to ensure it's specific and use the guiding questions from your agenda to help set the goal.
Then, ground the discussion with the reality you are facing. Lay out your current situation and status to define the parameters of your discussion. Invite an objective assessment of the situation.
Encourage exploration of available options by asking questions to help meeting participants realize all possibilities, and utilize brainstorming and voting tools like Pigeonhole Live to display options and reach a consensus through voting.
After discussing all the options in the meeting, the final step is crucial for making it effective. Bad meetings often lack purpose and attendees leave without knowing what was decided!
To avoid this, set concrete steps moving forward. Discuss specific actions to address the issue, brainstorm the possible challenges, and assign stakeholders in charge of each task. Make commitments to follow up on the action plan.
Imagine for a moment, that in a consulting firm, a manager is conducting a performance review meeting with a team member. The manager uses the GROW meeting framework to structure the conversation:
Here, the GROW framework structures performance review meetings to help set goals and develop careers productively, while also considering team members' needs and aspirations.
Lean Coffee is an agenda-less meeting format inspired by Lean and Agile principles. Participants propose discussion topics, prioritize them, and engage in time-boxed discussions. This framework encourages collaboration and focuses on addressing the most critical issues first.
Here's how to implement Lean Coffee in a nutshell:
Let's say that in a non-profit organization, a team is holding a meeting to discuss potential ideas for increasing donor engagement. They use the Lean Coffee meeting framework to structure the discussion:
The Lean Coffee meeting format fosters inclusive brainstorming and open discussion, ensuring that everyone's input is considered, and actionable fund-raising steps are taken.
Daily Stand-ups are brief, time-bound meetings where team members share progress, plans, and any hurdles they face, making them ideal for Agile and Scrum methodologies as they promote transparency, accountability, and help identify issues quickly.
To implement this framework, organize a daily 15-minute meeting, have everyone stand to keep it focused, encourage brief progress reports, and address any potential obstacles.
Let's suppose that in a construction company, the project team is holding a daily stand-up meeting to discuss progress and identify any potential roadblocks on a building project. They use the Daily Stand-up meeting framework to structure the 15-minute flow:
Using the Daily Stand-up meeting framework, the construction team can efficiently communicate progress, identify potential issues, and address literal roadblocks for better project outcomes.
The Lightning Decision Jam (LDJ) is a problem-solving framework that involves identifying challenges, voting on the most pressing issue, brainstorming solutions, and deciding on the best course of action.
This rapid decision-making process encourages participation and leads to actionable outcomes, making it ideal for teams looking to quickly generate and act on new ideas.
The LDJ framework can help you solve problems by identifying the issue, inviting diverse stakeholders, using a structured process for thinking, and prioritizing the next steps and action items.
Imagine that in a retail store, the management team is holding a meeting to quickly identify and prioritize potential marketing campaigns for an upcoming sale. They use the Lightning Decision Jam meeting framework to structure the debate:
Using the Lightning Decision Jam framework, the retail store management team can efficiently choose effective marketing strategies for the upcoming sale.
Liberating Structures are a collection of 33 microstructures designed to foster inclusion and engagement during meetings. These microstructures range from 1-2-4-All (for idea generation) to 15% Solutions (for identifying small actions that can be taken immediately).
To use Liberating Structures, start by identifying the problem or opportunity to address, select the appropriate structures for the group and purpose, and create an environment that encourages participation and co-creation. Focus on participation and inclusivity, and encourage everyone to contribute to the process to achieve the desired outcomes.
Let's imagine that in a hospitality company, a team is holding a meeting to improve customer satisfaction in their hotels. They use the Liberating Structures framework to structure the session:
The Liberating Structures framework promotes effective collaboration within the hospitality team to generate ideas and identify action items to enhance customer satisfaction—and keep guests returning!
Created by Dr. Edward de Bono, the Six Thinking Hats method helps teams explore different perspectives and make more informed decisions. Each "hat" represents a specific mode of thinking (e.g., facts, emotions, creativity), and participants take turns adopting each perspective during discussions.
To implement Six Thinking Hats, start by introducing the concept to your team and assigning a hat color to each person. Then, guide the team through each hat one at a time, allowing each person to express their thoughts and ideas from the perspective of that hat. Encourage open and respectful discussion throughout the process, and use the framework to generate new insights and solutions to the problem at hand.
Suppose that in a manufacturing company, the management team is discussing ways to improve the efficiency of their production line using the Six Thinking Hats framework:
Using the Six Thinking Hats framework, the manufacturing team collaborates effectively to evaluate production and identify potential improvements through open discussion, brainstorming, and problem-solving.
The World Cafe is a conversational process that encourages participants to discuss open-ended questions in small groups. After a set time, participants rotate to new groups, integrating ideas from previous conversations. This framework promotes knowledge sharing, creativity, and networking in a non-threatening and engaging way.
To use the World Cafe framework, a group of people is divided into smaller groups, with each group sitting at a separate table. Participants then engage in a series of rounds of conversations, rotating to different tables and building on the ideas generated by previous discussions. Key insights and ideas are then shared with the larger group, to create a collective understanding and identify actionable next steps.
For instance, in an educational institution, the faculty is holding a meeting to discuss ways to improve student engagement using the World Cafe framework:
The World Cafe framework helps educational institution faculty to brainstorm ways to improve student engagement and academic performance while ensuring all input is considered and action items are identified.
Meetings don't have to be the bane of our professional existence. With the right mindset and approach, they can be productive, engaging, and even enjoyable. By adopting these nine foolproof frameworks, you can transform your meetings from mundane to meaningful, and lead your team toward success. So, the next time you schedule a meeting, remember to be intentional, inclusive, and action-oriented. Happy meeting!