As I mentioned a few weeks ago, one yes can equate to 1000 yes’s. This is particularly true when it comes to preparing logistics for a coalition meeting. Whether you are meeting virtually, in-person or hybrid, there are many details and logistics that need to be considered in order to conduct an effective meeting. One of the greatest challenges in preparing logistics is the tendency to underestimate the time and resources needed to prepare a meeting. Join me this week as I provide three questions to consider as you prepare logistics for your next coalition meeting.
What are all the logistics that need to be considered?
If you have been leading meetings for a while, you probably have a running list of essential items in your head. Have you written these down? Have you shared them with your team? In order to be realistic about what it will take to host the meeting and to engage others in preparing the meeting, you have to get clear on what logistics need to be considered. In my effective meeting checklist, I provide a list of about 20 items that I consider for a virtual coalition meeting. Use this list as a starting point for your logistics list and tailor it for your specific group or meeting.
Who can help with the meeting logistics?
One of the benefits of writing down all of the logistical needs is to identify other people who can help you plan and implement the logistics. You may have other staff members who have particular expertise or capacity or you may have coalition members who are interested in some aspects of meeting logistics. When assigning (or requesting) support, consider level of interest, capacity and expertise or experience. While some of your team members may have tremendous interest in one or more logistical aspects, they may not currently have capacity to follow-through with those items for your next meeting. If you have new team members, you may need to spend extra time with training and coaching for the first few meetings until they are comfortable managing some of the logistics on their own.
How much time will it take to implement the meeting logistics?
When it comes to meeting preparation and logistics, both coalition members and staff tend to underestimate how much time it will take to plan, conduct and follow-up on a meeting. As you plan your next meeting, develop a time estimate and double or triple it to be more realistic. Also, consider tracking how much time each element actually takes so that you can have a more realistic estimate as you plan for future meetings. This can also help you discern whether you have capacity to host new meetings. One of the challenges in hosting effective meetings is that people think it is easy and they want you to keep hosting more meetings! 🙂
Which of these three questions do you need to focus on for your next meeting?
If you would like to learn more skills and engage with others who are also on a coalition, partnership or team building journey, consider joining my wait list for Coalition Catalyst Spring 2022. You will be the first to receive the dates and information for my Spring class!
Also, check out my latest resource on conducting effective coalition meetings, Effective Meeting Checklist!
Photo by Gabrielle Henderson on Unsplash
