Meeting of minds

 

There are other friends and colleagues who go out of their way to avoid meetings as they think these are bound to be a waste of time: the expected antagonisms and finger-pointing; a repetition of irrelevant information; the usual platitude and buzzword bingo game.

True, the dynamic of meetings has changed in recent years: it’s now more common to have stand-up meetings, likely to last only 5 to 15 minutes, or walking meetings, which disrupt the traditional hierarchy of chair, minutes secretary and other participants. But there are still too many needless gatherings that start late because this person is just getting a coffee and these people haven’t arrived yet, and end late because that person has gone into unnecessary detail and the other has gone off on a tangent.

Even conference calls, which supposedly avoid some of the problems of face-to-face meetings, are frequently delayed by bad connections and interruptions.

 

 

On the other hand, “workshop” has become a bit of a buzzword and is used to include even the lamest of round-table discussions in an attempt to galvanise enthusiasm and make a project look dynamic and upbeat. But calling a progress meeting a workshop doesn’t mean that that’s what it is, while advertising a talk or presentation as a workshop will give prospective attendees the wrong impression and leave them dissatisfied.

The dynamic of meetings has changed in recent years.

I think it’s useful, then, to make the distinction between a meeting and a workshop; it’s also useful to take time to consider which format is most appropriate for what you want to achieve. Perhaps the following summary will provide food for thought:

	Meeting	Workshop
Purpose	• Share information & provide updates • Report • Raise awareness	• Solve problems • Develop plans • Discovery • Creativity & innovation
Scope	• General overview	• Focus on single issue
Duration	• Timed in half-hours	• Timed in half-days
Engagement	PASSIVE: • Listening • Speaking • Note-taking • Individual	ACTIVE: • Brainstorming • Discussion • Hands-on • Whole body • Collaborative
Organisation	• Chair addresses attendees (one to many) • Turn taking • Centralised minute-taking	• Break-out groups • Group discussion • Sitting, standing or moving around • (Optional) central feedback
Structure	• Formal • Agenda-led	• Spontaneity encouraged
Tools	• Notebooks (or equivalent)	• Whiteboards; post-it notes; coloured markers; physical materials
Preparation	• Little central preparation needed	• Centrally organised • Activities/ topics planned • Materials provided