Practice Change Fellowship
Making Meetings Work – Creating an
Effective Agenda and Managing your
Meeting for Success
Cheryl Phillips, M.D., AGSF
CMO On Lok, Inc
Building an Effective Agenda
Essential Elements of an Agenda
 Purpose
 Place: location, time,
date, call-in number
(as indicated)
 Invitees
 Time for
introductions, as
needed
 Topics
 Timing and
scheduling
 Defining responsible
person (s)
 Wrap up
Sample Agenda
Pharmacy Work Group
May 2, 2007
1-4 pm
Conf Room 1-4, Buhler Building
Purpose: Review Annual Preferred Formulary Use
Invited: Greg Sachs: chair, David Ruben, Todd Semla, Cheryl Phillips
Staff: Nancy Lundebjerg
Time
1:00
Item
Introductions
Action
1:10
Consent Calendar
X
G. Sachs
a. Minutes 3-17-07
b. UM report: I Care Med Group
c. Recommended changes to mail order Rx list
1:15
Drug Recommended for
Addition to Formulary
X
1:45
Drugs Recommended for
Removal from formulary
X
2:15
“Educational Detailing”
T. Semla
2:25
Wrap-up and evaluation
G. Sachs
Next Meeting
June 6, 2007
Responsible
All
D. Ruben
C. Phillips
Making the Agenda Work for You
 Balance Time and Topic
 Consider the order:
Priority topics
Topics likely to take extra time
 Send out the agenda prior
 Define the action items
 Distribute support materials
 Use Consent Calendar, as appropriate, for
reports and simple approvals
Common Errors We all Make
Too many topics, not enough time!
“Pop-up” agenda items at meeting
“Didn’t see that one coming…”
Extended discussion time
“So, what do you need me to do?”
“Wow, that’s not what I heard!”
“Are we done yet?”
Background to Successful Meetings
 Great meetings don’t just happen.
 Is it karma? Is it merely the “right mix of
people”?
 We can’t always predict the outcome of a
meeting, but we can certainly have a
significant role in guiding the process.
Essential Elements to a Successful
Meeting
Preparation
work before
the meeting
Leadership
during the
meeting
Oversight to
assigned work
after the
meeting
Before the Meeting
 Determine the type of
meeting
 Decide the purpose of
this specific meeting and
what you want to
accomplish.
 Plan and distribute the
agenda
 Review and distribute all
related materials,
including Consent
Agenda items
Before the Meeting (cont’d)
 Meet with key stakeholders
 Review action items from the previous
meeting.
 Anticipate potential conflict
During the Meeting
 Manage time (including starting
and stopping)
 Set the tone with welcomes and
introductions
 Review the agenda
 Lead the discussion and keep it on
track
During the Meeting (cont’d)
 Ensure that “all
voices are heard”
 Oversee the
recording of the
meeting
 Clarify work
assignments,
times lines and
accountabilities
 Lead wrap-up
and meeting
evaluation
Leading Effective Discussions
 Open the Discussion
 Listen
 Ask for Clarification
 Summarize Points
 Test for Agreement
 Close the Discussion
Part A Nominal Group Technique:
Generating Ideas
 Define the task in the form of a question
 Clarify the question that will provide both the
purpose and the intended outcome of the
discussion
 Allow time to generate ideas.
 List ideas without discussion as to whether
they are “good” or “bad”
 Clarify each of the ideas listed, make sure
everyone understands the intent or wording.
Part B Nominal Group Technique:
Moving to Decision
Eliminate/combine
overlap ideas
Use process to rank as a
group
Reach conclusion based
on group input
Check for “heart burn”.
Remember…
Consensus does not
mean agreement
Voting is not the
same as data
collection
Working Towards Successful
Consensus
Practice active listening
Encourage all team members to participate.
Seek out differences of opinion
Avoid quickly choosing a solution;
understand the question first
Consider the time needed.
Check understanding.
Strategies to Minimize Indecisiveness
 Get the agenda out
early.
 Involve key decisionmakers
 Work on a series of
decisions. This can
help get to the “big
picture”
After the Meeting
Effective minutes need to include the
following elements:
The name of the meeting and the date,
place and time
Who was in attendance A list of the
agenda items covered
A summary of the motions or decisions
A BRIEF summary of key discussion
points
Assignments: what is assigned, who is
responsible and when it is due
Suggested Resources
 Fisher, Roger; Ury, William; Getting to Yes;
Penguin Books, 1991
 Kotter, John; Leading Change; Harvard
Business School Press, 1996
 Lencioni, Patrick, Death by Meetings, JoseyBass publ., 2004
 Lippincott, Sharon; Meetings: Do’s, Don’ts and
Donuts; Lighthouse Press, 2002
 Scholtes, Peter; Joiner, Brian; Streibel,
Barbara; The Team Handbook; Joiner
Associates, 1996
 Ury, Wm, Getting Past No, Bantam, 2003