So many meetings in higher ed are boring, unproductive, and contentious. It doesn’t have to be that way.
You’ve probably seen the “that could have been an email” meme, or maybe even sent it to colleagues after an especially unproductive session. Since you do not want anyone to feel that way about a meeting you’ve organized, think hard about what you are hoping to accomplish. Is bringing people together — physically or virtually — the only or best way to achieve the results you seek?
Don’t hold a meeting every first Tuesday at 3 p.m., simply because your department has always held a meeting every first Tuesday at 3 p.m. Schedule one only when you are clear on its purpose and convinced that a meeting is the superior path toward your desired goals. Consciously or unconsciously, we schedule meetings to achieve one or more of the following:
- Build identity. There is value in bringing people together to solidify a sense of belonging. But be careful: That can’t be the only reason to meet or people will get frustrated. Make sure your meeting has tangible aims as well.
- Share information. This is a common reason to gather the troops yet often leads to the dullest meetings. It’s almost always better to share information digitally — except of course when it’s sensitive, surprising, or complex.
- Collect information. While this type of meeting can seem efficient to the person collecting the data, it tends to be tedious for everyone else.
- Coordination. Meetings can provide valuable connection points that enable colleagues to check in on progress, troubleshoot issues, and plan next steps.
- Generate ideas. Do you need a strategy to increase success rates in introductory math courses? Do you want input on how to manage a pending budget reduction? Meetings can be effective venues for collecting new ideas.
- Make decisions. Hold a meeting if you have to make a choice among two or more alternatives, and you need a group’s blessing to move forward.
Continue reading: “How to Run a Good Meeting,” by Allison Vaillancourt
Share your suggestions for the newsletter with Denise Magner, an editor at The Chronicle, at denise.magner@chronicle.com. If you’d like to opt out, you can log in to our website and manage your newsletter preferences here.
