The best way to start a meeting, according to a project manager
If you come from the school of thought that all meetings are a waste of time and money, then you probably get frustrated by any sort of small talk at the beginning. You would much rather see the meeting get straight to the point so you can get back to work. But this mindset may be doing more harm than good.
As a senior project manager at one of the world’s biggest corporations, it’s my job to lead meetings and ensure they achieve their objectives efficiently. How a meeting begins can set the tone for the rest of it and affect whether or not a meeting is successful. After years of leading thousands of meetings, I’ve recognized that small talk, especially in a professional setting, may not be so small.
Why you should make room for small talk
Whether the topic of the day is your kids, last night’s game (any Saints fans out there?), or the latest viral cat meme — it doesn’t matter. These informal chats help build camaraderie between you and members of your team. And this camaraderie goes a long way in getting things done.
If you’re in the habit of always getting straight to the point when leading meetings, it can come off as very contractual and leaves little space for people to get to know and trust you.
This can be even more problematic if you’re a project manager because it’s your job to rally people to get a project done. And because you’re not their boss, you have to make this happen without any formal authority. In these instances, building solid relationships is crucial. And every relationship begins with small talk.
The time you connected with a coworker over a shared passion for skiing, or even the time you found out that a coworker has a kid going to your alma mater — these types of connections can be invaluable in the long run. Why? Because at the end of the day we are all human, and we prefer doing work for someone who cares about us as people. We end up responding faster to those who have more solid relationships with us and put their action items higher up on our priority lists.
How to make room for small talk in meetings
Making room for small talk in meetings can be done without taking away from the efficiency of your meeting. The key is to plan for as much as you can before the meeting starts. This means reviewing your objectives the night before. What am I aiming to accomplish by bringing these people together? How do I do that?
When you’re leading a meeting, you should always get there five to 10 minutes early. First, this gives you an opportunity to get everything set up, especially if you’re using a laptop for a presentation. Secondly, it gives you time to relax and organically engage in small talk with anyone that might come to the meeting early.
The most important thing you can do to make room for small talk in meetings, however, is to make sure your meeting starts on schedule. We all know people who are chronically late to every meeting — no matter what their workload looks like. When you’re leading a meeting and wait for these stragglers, you establish a culture of lateness. That’s why I always start on time. Beginning on schedule leaves room to achieve everything you plan to achieve and can also provide some cushion at the end for additional team-building small talk.