What makes a great meeting? We have all been part of meetings that were completely unproductive. In fact, many meetings tend to be unproductive if not led properly. I often wonder how much more organizations would get done if they had fewer meetings. Dave Barry said, “If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be ‘meetings.'”

I agree with Dave, but also know that when done effectively meetings can be one of the greatest catalysts for productivity. The goal is to make sure meetings have the right ingredients. When I was an elementary age kid, I decided to make home-made cookies one day. I didn’t ask for any help, nor did I read any instructions, I just tried to remember what my mom put in the mix. So I mixed my concoction with butter, flour, sugar, chocolate chips…and…well that was it. When I finished cooking them in the oven, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Instead of being fluffy, moist, round cookies, it was one glob of mess. I forgot all the other ingredients I apparently needed. In the same way, if we leave out certain ingredients of a staff meeting we are not going to come out with a good product.

So here are the three ingredients that you can’t leave out:

1) Inspiration

Meetings without an element of inspiration are like cookies without sugar…tasteless. We must incorporate an element of fun, growth, laughter, activity, something that will add spice to the meeting. A staff that is not inspired will inspire no one. Too many meetings are about calculations and not enough about camaraderie. The last time I checked meetings involve humans, and humans are emotional creatures. We desire to be motivated, inspired, moved, and stirred within. You can accomplish this portion of the meeting with an exciting teaching or a video that captures your organization’s heartbeat. Maybe you want to do some team building activities to get people connecting and laughing together, by the way, one of the fastest ways to develop friendships and relationships is by laughing together. Whatever you incorporate make sure it is inspirational and fits your organization’s DNA.

2) Information

People need the information in order to bring about transformation. This is the ingredient that focuses on the facts, data, and feedback about the organization. It is an opportunity for everyone to report on their specific area and give everyone else a snapshot of what is going on. It is like sticking the thermometer in the organization. This is not the time or place to discuss issues, is the time to report on the past. Each person attending the meeting should have something to report. If not, then they either don’t need to be a part of that particular meeting, or they need to be given more responsibility. A great meeting does not work if people show up with nothing to report on. Everyone needs to be inputting for there to be productivity; otherwise, it is not a meeting it is a lecture being given by the meeting leader.

3) Initiation

This is where the brainstorming and productivity happens. A meeting has to have an element of action steps assigned to each and every person attending. Initiating next steps for the team is vital to carry out projects and initiatives. This is the place where issues get discussed, and strategy gets formed. But always remember everything discussed needs to funnel into an action step eventually. It is not enough to simply be inspired and just talk about information. There needs to be a moving forward for the organization, and that is where projects and goals need to be initiated by each participant. Never leave a meeting without a clear course of next steps for each person involved. Assign responsibilities according to each person’s strengths and areas. Working together is what makes an organization move forward into greater impact.

Here are three examples of meetings:

a) This is NOT an effective meeting…

Notice only one person is dominating the table, no one else is even there. Meetings where people do not show up mentally prepared are not meetings; they are lectures given by the leader. An effective meeting involves people.

b) This is NOT an effective meeting…

Notice almost everyone is there, but still, someone is missing. There is a weak link in the team if not everyone shows up ready to go. Remember meetings are a team effort. Not one person can be present, yet have an absent focus.

c) This IS an effective meeting…

Notice everyone is present and they are all contributing something to the meeting. Each person has their reports and input in order to add value to the meeting. This is the where the magic happens.