WEBVTT - Second Cup: Until we meet again

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is that at the end of any meeting, you

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<v Speaker 1>should go through the action steps everyone needs to take

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<v Speaker 1>before you meet again. This quick and simple step will

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<v Speaker 1>increase the likelihood that you make the progress you plan

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<v Speaker 1>to make between meetings. So, for better or for worse,

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<v Speaker 1>many professional and volunteer teams rely on meetings to create accountability.

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<v Speaker 1>Nobody wants to be sitting across the table from coworkers

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<v Speaker 1>and acknowledge that they haven't completed the tasks that were

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<v Speaker 1>assigned to them, so they generally do of the tasks

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<v Speaker 1>they are supposed to do before the next meeting. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>you might argue that colleagues should be accountable to each

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<v Speaker 1>other even when they are not meeting face to face,

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<v Speaker 1>and that you shouldn't have to waste time sitting in

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<v Speaker 1>meetings when there's nothing to actually discuss, and I would

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<v Speaker 1>totally agree with you. I truly dislike the inefficiency of

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<v Speaker 1>having people sit in meetings just to see that yep,

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<v Speaker 1>everyone is still doing their jobs. But we live in

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<v Speaker 1>the real world, and I know that many workplaces have

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<v Speaker 1>a meeting heavy culture, where scheduling a meeting is the

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<v Speaker 1>way you get your tasks to rise to the top

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<v Speaker 1>of people's priority lists. So if you do work in

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<v Speaker 1>such a place, you may as well make the most

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<v Speaker 1>of this accountability to keep things on track. One way

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<v Speaker 1>to do that is to make absolutely sure that at

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<v Speaker 1>the end of each meeting everybody understands exactly what needs

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<v Speaker 1>to happen before the next meeting. You will probably have

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<v Speaker 1>decided on action steps through the meeting, but at the

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<v Speaker 1>end of the meeting it is still incredibly helpful to

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<v Speaker 1>review them again. As in Caroline, you'll draft the Ford

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<v Speaker 1>proposal and circulate it to the team by next Tuesday,

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<v Speaker 1>and Blake, you will find out from accounting how much

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<v Speaker 1>is left in the reserve account and email the team

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<v Speaker 1>and update you get the idea. Make sure everybody is

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<v Speaker 1>clear on what work they are going to get done

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<v Speaker 1>before the next meeting. Then when you send out the

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<v Speaker 1>meeting follow up notes, it is wise to remind people

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<v Speaker 1>of the action steps you agreed on yet again, and

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<v Speaker 1>when you circulate the agenda for the next meeting, it

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<v Speaker 1>is also not a bad idea to review the action

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<v Speaker 1>steps once more. This creates one last chance for people

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<v Speaker 1>to fulfill the responsibilities before the meeting. If you are

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<v Speaker 1>the one chairing the meeting, you are well positioned to

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<v Speaker 1>set the norm of doing all this. If you are

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<v Speaker 1>the one taking notes or providing support to the meeting,

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<v Speaker 1>you may also be able to build in ways to

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<v Speaker 1>remind people of their action items. But even if you

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<v Speaker 1>are not the meeting chair or assistant, you may still

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<v Speaker 1>be able to make sure that everyone understands what they

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<v Speaker 1>are supposed to do. One option is that if there

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<v Speaker 1>is any sort of any questions moment or anything else

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<v Speaker 1>moment toward the end of the meeting, you can pipe

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<v Speaker 1>up to reflect back what you think the action steps are,

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<v Speaker 1>or at least those that you are responsible for, so

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<v Speaker 1>to confirm I am responsible for finding co chairs for

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<v Speaker 1>the Winter Gala and connecting them with last year's co

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<v Speaker 1>chairs and Jack right. That way, you'll at least know

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<v Speaker 1>that everyone is aligned about what you are doing. Your

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<v Speaker 1>question may prompt others to reflect back what they see

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<v Speaker 1>themselves as responsible for, or the meeting chair may get

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<v Speaker 1>the hint and take the opportunity to recap everyone's action steps.

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<v Speaker 1>Whether we like it or not, that meetings are used

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<v Speaker 1>for accountability. It is wise to make the most of

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<v Speaker 1>the fact that they are confirm exactly what everyone should

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<v Speaker 1>be doing at the end of the meeting and perhaps

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<v Speaker 1>in the follow up notes and subsequent meeting agendas too.

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<v Speaker 1>That way, when you meet again, at least you won't

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<v Speaker 1>waste time rehashing what was supposed to be done. You

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<v Speaker 1>can keep moving forward, or at least we hope you can.

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<v Speaker 1>In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and

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<v Speaker 1>here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

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<v Speaker 1>your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with

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<v Speaker 1>me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod.

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<v Speaker 1>That's b the number four then Breakfast pod. You can

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<v Speaker 1>also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast at

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<v Speaker 1>iHeartMedia dot com. That before Breakfast is spelled out with

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<v Speaker 1>all the letters. Thanks so much, should I look forward

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<v Speaker 1>to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartRadio.

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<v Speaker 1>For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,

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<v Speaker 1>or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.