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Have you ever been at a business meeting with 12 consultants, a powerpoint, an entire tree of paper, but no real purpose? I’ve had my fill. I usually look around the room and compute the cost to the client. Most times it’s about $2500 an hour.

I had a completely different meeting this week. I attended a meeting with 8 volunteers, no agenda, but a leader with a clear purpose. The group is responsible for physically moving an organization and getting the word out about the move. A diverse array of skills is required to accomplish both tasks and the process is going to involve about 200 people. The meeting had all the makings of one of those nowhere meetings, but it was just the opposite.

We were able to hash out the details of the physical move, prioritize the tasks, and assign them. We were also able to get through the who, and how of the public relations aspect. All in under an hour. I was so awed by the efficiency of the facilitator that I thought I would share my experience with you.

The facilitator did a few things for the meeting to run smoothly.

1. She had her supplies together.
2. She asked for a note taker.
3. She clearly outlined what was to be accomplished, not HOW it would be accomplished.
4. As soon as ideas started flowing, she moved to the white board.
5. She involved the entire group so that no one was nodding off, and everyone had buy-in.
6. She was clear on her role as facilitator and used cues to move the meeting forward.
7. Even though she did not express it to the group, she had a plan (document what, prioritize, document who, document how).
8. Finally, she was sure to close with the follow up assignments and meeting time.

A meeting with a clear purpose and an effective leader can be the most productive hour of the day. On the other hand, a meeting for meeting sake, or facilitated by a poor leader is time wasted.