Pilots don’t just throttle a jet down the runway and into the air. First, they check out the plane, set the GPS, and confirm the basics with their co-pilot. Likewise, the most successful meetings involve a “pre-flight protocol”. But too often eager leaders simply launch into their agenda and miss the opportunity to properly set the stage for success.
Although this practice involves an investment in time, it helps ensure that you’ll get to your destination by:
- Conveying clear expectations about timing, roles, and behavior
- Laying the foundation for redirecting the group when discussions get sidetracked
- Building connection and cohesion among participants
Stage-setting consists of the following five elements which you can remember using the acronym ACORN. ACORN is your pre-flight protocol.
Agenda: Review the agenda — the topics, the time allocated, and what “success” means for each agenda item (e.g., a decision has been made, ideas have been generated for solving a problem, etc.).
Check-in: Take 30 seconds per team member to check in. The purpose of this practice is to remember that a team consists of humans, not job descriptions. I’ve written a blog all about the check-in practice which you can find here.
Objectives: Describe what you want to accomplish in this meeting and why it matters. Again, define what “success” looks like for this particular meeting and/or for each agenda item. As mentioned above, I usually do this in conjunction with the agenda review.
Roles: Define the roles you expect people in the meeting to play. Are some participants there to provide special expertise? Will certain individuals take the lead on agenda items? Are some members included because they represent specific important perspectives or interests related to the issue being discussed?
Norms: Does your team have shared agreements in place to support healthy collaboration? If not, I suggest you create some. Here are some examples:
- Actively invite and listen to others’ perspectives
- Express your opinion honestly
- Focus disagreement and criticism on ideas, not people
You may be thinking, “This ACORN business is going to take up the entire meeting!” Not true. Setting the stage is an essential leadership quality . When you convene others and execute your pre-flight plan skillfully, it generally takes a total of 10 to 15 minutes. You can also accelerate some of the stage-setting elements in advance via a pre-meeting email. Stage-setting is a game changer. Try it!
Image Credit: Alfred Schrock on Unsplash