Keep control of your meetings with ground rules

Meetings seem to bring out the worst in some people. They can be rude and selfish, cutting people off instead of allowing them to speak, answering their cell phones and Blackberries, making sarcastic remarks and more.

One way to counteract this type of behaviour is to establish a set of ground rules, explain the reasoning behind them and get people to commit to following them. You don’t want a long list, but rather half a dozen or so simple rules that reflect simple courtesy as well as efficiency. Here are some suggestions:

Meetings seem to bring out the worst in some people. They can be rude and selfish, cutting people off instead of allowing them to speak, answering their cell phones and Blackberries, making sarcastic remarks and more.

One way to counteract this type of behaviour is to establish a set of ground rules, explain the reasoning behind them and get people to commit to following them. You don’t want a long list, but rather half a dozen or so simple rules that reflect simple courtesy as well as efficiency. Here are some suggestions:

We agree to:

Begin on time, stick to the agenda and finish on time.

Stay to the end of the meeting.

Deal with issues and left personalities out of the discussion.

Allow others to speak without interruption.

Accept decisions duly arrived at by the group, and commit to following through on them.

Leave Blackberries and cell phones outside.

There are other possibilities, but I think you get the idea. Add your own if you have specific situations or personalities you need to address.

Type or print the rules on a large sheet of paper and post it prominently in the room. Any time the meeting seems to be going off track in any area, simply refer to the rules — and by the way, you can do that whether you are the leader of the meeting or simply a participant. If you use the rules repeatedly with the same group of people, they will become internalized and after a while most people will adhere to them automatically. This will make your meetings not only more efficient, but much more pleasant for everyone involved.