Pre-Meetings: The Secret to Successful Meetings
Important decisions are made BEFORE the meeting!
#091
Hey friends 👋🏼
Eid Mubarak to everyone celebrating.
Trust you’re having a fantastic week & getting sh*t done!
Meetings should have as few people as possible, but all the right people.
— Charles W. Scharf
Meet before the meeting…
Important decisions are NOT made during meetings.
They’re only rectified/announced to the general team.
Your CEO knows this.
If you want to get ahead, you need to learn to conduct meetings before the meeting.
Let’s try an example…
You work for XYZ Company and have an idea for a new product.
You work on your idea to improve it before sharing it at the next company townhall.
Your deck is well put together, and you’ve practiced your presentation for several days leading up to the townhall.
You’ve done your homework but…
9 times out of 10, your idea will be rejected if that’s the first time key decision makers are hearing about it.
Now imagine a different situation where you “socialize” your idea with key decision makers before the townhall.
This could be as simple as sending a Slack message to your manager asking his or her opinion on your idea…
Or having a chat with a respected senior colleague over lunch to discuss your proposal.
Or sending a high-level summary email to a few stakeholders to get their views.
This will allow you…
Build Alignment: Pre-meetings allow you to gauge perspectives, address potential concerns, and build consensus before the official discussion. This reduces surprises and fosters a more productive main meeting.
Refine Your Pitch: You can test your ideas, solicit feedback, and tailor your presentation to resonate with specific individuals. This ensures your message is clear, concise, and impactful.
Cultivate Relationships: Pre-meetings offer a valuable opportunity to connect with colleagues on a more personal level. This strengthens professional relationships and builds trust.
In the fast-paced world of business, meetings often dominate our schedules.
Yet, the critical conversations that lead to successful outcomes often begin well before the official agenda is set.
Stop now and think about your next meeting.
Who and who do you need to “touch base” with before the meeting?
Until Next Week,
— ❤️ Azodo
Great perspective!