Teams address tactical tasks, strategy-related tasks, and big-picture tasks. Optimally, each type of task should be handled in a separate meeting:Tactical tasks should be addressed in daily, weekly, or bi-weekly tactical meetings.

1. Tactical tasks include sharing information, giving progress reports on assigned tasks, and gathering input on pressing issues.
2. Strategy-related tasks should be addressed during monthly or bi-monthly strategy meetings. Strategy-related tasks include considering key issues, finding better ways to achieve the mission, and making strategy-related decisions.
3. Big-picture tasks should be addressed in quarterly or semi-annual big-picture meetings. Big-picture tasks include reviewing the mission, the definition of mission achievement, and current trends.

If it is not possible to schedule separate meetings, group similar tasks together for a given meeting, for example:

1. Group all the big-picture tasks together. Big-picture tasks are vital and are best addressed when people are fresh. Do these at the beginning of the meeting. Begin with a big-picture task that will start the meeting off on a positive note.
2. Group the strategy-related tasks together. Do these after the big-picture tasks. Get these done before addressing tactical tasks.
3. Group the tactical tasks together. Do these last.
4. Conclude the meeting with a task that will end the meeting on a positive note.

Help your team target mission achievement. Match the task with the type of meeting. Today.

Effective facilitation focuses team members on 3 goals:

1. Achieving the targeted results.
2. Abiding by meeting guidelines.
3. Achieving team purpose.

Want to enhance team meeting facilitation? If so, do the following 3 things: 

1. Select 1 or more goals from the list below that you want to make progress on.
2. Identify options for taking action.
3. Determine which actions you will take.

Here's the list of goals and options for taking action:
Goal 1: The facilitation focuses our team on achieving the targeted results:

1. Use an agenda that identifies the targeted SMART results.
2. Send out the agenda and other meeting materials ahead of time.
3. At the meeting, review the targeted results. Invite meeting participants to focus on achieving the targeted results.
4. Invite someone to serve as the timekeeper. The timekeeper lets the group know how much time is left for a given task.
5. Invite someone to serve as a recorder. The recorder writes out discussion notes on a whiteboard or big piece of paper.
6. Keep people engaged. Ask questions. Use small group discussion and frequent breaks.
7. When discussing meeting materials, encourage participants to ask questions after reading the materials.
8. Use a whiteboard, LCD projector, or overhead projector to show changes being made to a proposal.
9. Intervene when there are sidebar conversations and personal attacks, when the discussion is getting off topic, and when participants are not keeping to the schedule.
10. Have participants assess meeting effectiveness in terms of achieving the targeted results.
11. Other: _____

 
Goal 2: The facilitation focuses our team on abiding by the meeting guidelines:

1. As a group, review the team’s meeting guidelines. Invite meeting participants to abide by the guidelines.
2. Establish a humorous way to signal that a meeting guideline is not being adhered to.
3. Have participants assess meeting effectiveness in terms of abiding by meeting guidelines.
4. Other: _____

 
Goal 3: The facilitation focuses our team on achieving the team purpose:

1. Include agenda items that are aligned with the team purpose statement.
2. As a group, review the team purpose statement. Invite meeting participants to use the meeting to achieve the team’s purpose.
3. Ask those responsible for a given agenda item to explain how it helps the team achieve its purpose.
4. Have participants assess meeting effectiveness in terms of achieving the team purpose.
5. Other: ___

 
Help your team target mission achievement. Enhance the facilitation of your team meetings. Today.

Guidelines define how a team will work together. Developing meeting guidelines can help your team work even more effectively. As a team:

1. Review sample guideline categories—like time and materials. Also review sample meeting guidelines—like “We start and end on time” and “The agenda is sent out ___ days ahead of time.
2. Brainstorm additional guideline categories and meeting guidelines.
3. Choose 4-6 meeting guidelines.
4. Use the guidelines.

Help your team target mission achievement. Use meeting guidelines. Today.
 

*Here are sample meeting guideline categories and guidelines:

• Time: We start and end on time. We start when everyone is present.
• Meeting materials: The agenda is sent out ___ days ahead of time. Meeting minutes are distributed ___ days after the meeting.
• Focus: We complete assigned tasks on time. We stick with the agenda. We don’t get off topic.
• Collaboration: Everyone participates. We invite discussion. One person talks at a time. We seek consensus.

How can you design meetings to target results? By requiring that each agenda item have the following information:

1. The item title
2. Who is responsible
3. When the item will be addressed (start and end time during the meeting)
4. The targeted SMART result(s)
5. How the targeted result(s) will be achieved (Decide • Discuss • Inform • Train • Work)

Here’s an example:

1. Title: January 22 training objectives
2. Who: Michael
3. When: 11:15-11:45
4. Result: Generate a draft of the January 22 training objectives and 1 or more activities that support each of those objectives
5. How: Discuss

Help your team target mission achievement. Design meetings that target results. Today.

You've just finished a team meeting. The meeting went sort of OK, and you're wondering, "How can we improve team meetings?" Good question.
 
I've found that using assessment has improved team meetings I participate in. At the end of each meeting, I recommend you assess meeting effectiveness in terms of things like:

• Completion of assigned tasks
• Achievement of targeted results
• The degree to which team members abided by meeting guidelines
• The degree of focus on the team’s purpose
• Team member involvement in meeting assessment

Need a place to start? At your next meeting, schedule time for team reflection. Use the time to:

1. Share your desire to improve team meetings.
2. Have team members brainstorm characteristics of an effective meeting (you might want to include items from the list above).
3. Ask team members to assess on their brainstormed list: What helps us __ (characteristic of a good meeting)? What hinders us from ___ (characteristic of a good meeting)?

Help your team target mission achievement. Assess team meetings. Today.

Good meetings are on TARGET in terms of...

• Team purpose
• Assessment
• Results
• Guidelines
• Effective facilitation
• Types of meetings

To help team members work even more effectively, clarify your team’s purpose. To do this, you can do 3 things:
 
(1) Assess your team's purpose statement. How? By rating the items below. Use the following scale: Yes • Maybe • No
 
Our team purpose statement...
___ Was developed by the team.
___ Is documented.
___ Identifies the team name.
___ Targets mission achievement.
___ Identifies how the team contributes to mission achievement.
 
___ Is understandable to those on the team and those not on the team.
 
___ Uses active verbs.
___ Uses precise wording.
___ Is user-friendly.
___ Is 25 words or less.
 
(2) Use your assessment data to enhance your team's purpose statement. Here’s a pattern you can use: The [Team Name] contributes to achievement of [Organization Name]'s mission by...
 
(3) Use your purpose statement to identify 5 things your team addresses and 5 things your team doesn’t address.
 
Help your team target mission achievement. Clarify your team's purpose statement. Today.

You’re grateful for what God has done for you. So, you want to serve God, in part by pursuing excellence for Him. As a ministry leader, you know that one type of excellence you want to pursue is organizational excellence. Good.
 
What can you do to pursue organizational excellence? Here are 4 things you can do:
 
(1) Make sure staff are cared for. To care for staff on a personal level, demonstrate interest in them, have fun together, and provide life coaching to help staff balance work/home. To care for staff on a professional level, demonstrate interest in their ministry, encourage them to reflect, and provide support, encouragement and accountability.
           
(2) Make sure staff participate in professional development. What kind of professional development? In professional development that addresses current job responsibilities and that helps individual staff members achieve their annual growth goals. In professional development that involves staff in reflection and follow-up. In professional development that helps your staff do ministry more effectively.
 
(3) Make sure staff meetings target mission achievement. Make sure each meeting’s purpose is documented, targets mission achievement, and is used as the filter for what gets on the agenda. Have those attending the meeting collaboratively develop meeting guidelines that define desired meeting dynamics. And schedule separate meetings to address tactics, strategy, and vision.
 
(4) Make sure staff understand, are involved in, and are focused on organizational improvement. How can you do this? By explaining organizational improvement, encouraging ownership, involving staff in developing improvement plans, and providing the support and accountability staff need to carry out improvement plans. Here's the acid test: If ministry leadership dropped of the planet, would the plans still get implemented? If so, then you have an effective organizational improvement plan.
 
Bottom line: Pursue excellence.

*How can you help others pursue excellence? By asking questions like:

1. What’s excellence?
2. What’s satisfying/unsatisfying about pursuing organizational excellence?
3. For your ministry, what does organizational excellence look like?
4. What can you do to pursue organizational excellence?
5. What will you do?

Meetings are an important tool you can use to achieve your mission. I’ve participated in good meetings. If you want to participate in good meetings more often, answer this question: What makes a good meeting good? Good meetings are on TARGET in terms of:

• Team purpose
• Assessment
• Results
• Guidelines
• Effective facilitation
• Types of meetings.

To get an idea of how you can make your meetings even more effective, complete the following assessment (download). Use the following scale:

4: Strongly Agree • 3: Agree • 2: Disagree • 1: Strongly Disagree
 
Team purpose
___ Our team’s purpose is documented.
___ Our team’s purpose targets mission achievement.
___ Our team’s purpose is understood by each team member.
___ Our team’s purpose statement is user-friendly.
___ Our team’s purpose is used as the filter for what gets on the agenda.
 
Assessment
___ We assess completion of assigned tasks.
___ We assess meeting effectiveness in terms of team purpose.
___ We assess meeting effectiveness in terms of achievement of targeted results.
___ We assess meeting effectiveness in terms of abiding by meeting guidelines.
___ We use assessment at each meeting.
___ Each team member is involved in assessment.
 
Results
___ We identify results for a given meeting before the meeting.
___ We use the SMART goal format to list our targeted meetings results on our agenda.
___ Our targeted meeting results target mission achievement.
___ We achieve our targeted results at each meeting.
 
Guidelines
___ We developed our meeting guidelines collaboratively.
___ Our guidelines define our desired team dynamics.
___ Our guidelines support the achievement of our team purpose and our mission.
___ Each team member abides by the guidelines.
 
Effective facilitation
___ The facilitation focuses our team on achieving the team purpose.
___ The facilitation focuses our team on achieving the targeted results.

Types of meetings
___ Our team members understand that there are different types of meetings.
___ We use a schedule of different types of meetings to address tactics, strategy, and vision.


Now, ask yourself 4 questions about the data:

1. How many 4s, 3s, 2s, and 1s do I have?
2. What satisfies/frustrates me about the data?
3. To improve your meetings, which 1-2 of the 6 TARGET areas could you address?
4. What will I do?

Pursue excellence. Improve your meetings Today.