The Five P’s to Master Meeting Planning

We often have clients ask why planning is so important. Planning can be used in many ways, from planning a meeting to planning a business or life!

Planning is essential because it helps us see things that can help us achieve our goals before things happen. Planning also helps us know what may prevent us from achieving our goals and determine what to do about it.

Take meetings, for example. Many go into meetings without planning what they want to get out of the meeting. There is a parable about meetings that goes something like this. 'Are you lonely? Are you tired of working on your own? Hold a meeting. You can see people, show charts, feel important, point with a stick, eat doughnuts, and impress your colleagues on company time! Meetings, the practical alternative to work'

If you consider that time is our most precious non-renewable resource, it makes sense to go into a meeting with a goal for what you want to achieve and plan how you could achieve it. If you are the facilitator of the meeting, this is imperative, mainly if you aim to get others on board with a particular idea or project. Being able to plan a meeting is a great habit to build, particularly in business, as it leverages time and effort with efficacy when done well.

When meetings are not conducted effectively, most likely due to poor planning, they can be an utter waste of time. Hands up if you have ever experienced a meeting that wastes your time.

Effective meetings are opportunities to present information, solve problems, make decisions, and keep teams working together. This is why effective meetings are essential—they help you build trust, improve communication, and get more done in less time. Bill Gates reminds us, "You have a meeting to make a decision, not to decide on the question."

Planning for meetings enables you to use a structured approach to increase the likelihood of an effective meeting because it gives you a framework to follow, which makes the meeting flow better and means you are more likely to achieve the outcome and, at best, a win/win for all involved.

When meetings are required to make decisions and achieve goals, follow these five P's to ensure your meetings are effective (about leadership) and efficient (about management): Plan, Purpose, Participants, Process, and Payoff.

Plan

Use this simple format to plan your meeting - why is the meeting being held, what is to be covered at the meeting, how will the meeting be conducted, and who needs to be at the meeting?

Purpose

Establish a clear purpose for the meeting. When people know why a meeting is being held, there is the potential for greater engagement and participation.

Participants

When planning the meeting, give focused and conscious consideration to who is being invited to attend and why. What is the value they will bring to the decision-making? What preparation do you need them to do?

Process

How will the meeting be run? Is it in person or online? Have a set agenda and time allocated for each agenda item. Giving times enables the meeting to be facilitated effectively within the allotted time and keeps the meeting on track. This builds trust and credibility within teams.

Payoff

What is to be accomplished? What is the outcome, the decision to be made, the goal to be achieved? This must be specific so that the meeting participants and those who need to act can be held accountable.

When meetings are planned using these five P's, they will be more effective and efficient. Having a clear plan, purpose, required participants, and a good process with a timed agenda, the payoff to be achieved will more likely be realised. Future meetings will continue to improve as the planning habits for meetings continue to strengthen.

Book your Complimentary Strategy Session with a lead coach at Leaders Network if you would like support to strengthen your planning habits.