Your meetings - 'yum' or 'meh'?

Recently we had the pleasure of dinner at Tattu restaurant in Leeds. If you've not been and love Chinese food then you should go - it's wonderful.

The last course was dessert (it would be rude not to) and what emerged was a stunning dessert presented in what could only be described as a prehistoric stone egg, from which the top was removed to reveal a white chocolate dragon egg with coconut, passion fruit and mango (accompanied by dry ice spilling over the table). It looked amazing and, hoorah, tasted amazing.

This was a dessert (or pudding in my vocabulary) triumph. It looked superb, and the taste matched the appearance. Sadly not all desserts match up to their description or expectations and if, like me, you like desserts then you've probably encountered a few duds in your time which look great but are frankly 'Meh'.

Pivot to meetings (go with it). Lots will be happening as many of us head back to work after the summer break. Face to face, virtual and hybrid, our diaries will be getting busy with lots of conversations about plans for the autumn and beyond. You may also be designing and leading meetings yourself, all of which need careful planning and thought to avoid being a triumph of style over substance.

The chances are you'd like your meeting to be a triumph (rather like the dragon egg dessert) both in terms of appearance and substance. How can you ensure that the experience of your meetings this autumn matches up to the promise? Here are 10 tips to consider before the autumn meeting rush.

• Be clear on your meeting purpose and outcomes, and ensure that participants are aware of these, and why they have been invited. If you can, have a brief call with each participant beforehand to understand their hopes and expectations.
• Design your agenda carefully. Consider each agenda item as a mini-meeting on it's own (with a focussed purpose and outcomes) and create a process for it.
• Approach your meeting space with a flexible mindset. Do you need the tables? Can you go outside? What other spaces might you use to complement the space you have?
• In the meeting, keep your orientation chart (containing your purpose, outcomes, agenda and ways of working) in a visible place at all times. Refer back to it at regular points in the meeting.
• At the start, agree on ways of working so that the meeting will really count for everyone in the room.
• Use visual materials and resources which serve the conversation (not the other way round). Do these need to be on the walls? How about papering the tables? Who will create these and how can you delegate responsibility for populating the charts in the meeting (so you can remain focussed)
• Take regular stretch breaks. Approaching the work to be done in shorter "sprints" of 50 minutes, followed by a 10 minute break will help to keep participants fresh. This approach is especially useful for virtual meetings.
• Be clear on your role (for you as much as participants). Are you playing the role of impartial facilitator or are you also immersed in content? Whatever the answer make sure you signpost where you have 'changed hats'.
• Take photos of the charts and share these with participants swiftly following the meeting, especially charts which hold information about decisions and actions.
• Make time to reflect after the meeting using a simple framework such as 'What worked well?' and 'I wish' (things you would change if you had the time again). These will help as you prepare for future meetings.

Like posh desserts, creating meetings that deliver what they promise will take time, energy and imagination. What's on your menu?