Start On Time

I recently attended an arts group meeting. It started late, and despite starting late, four people arrived late, at different times. After each late person arrived, the coordinator started all over again. Needless to say, we didn’t finish on time. It may just be me, but that really pushes my “hot” buttons.

As Jack Rosenberger nicely says “ When you start your meetings on time and develop a reputation inside your department and company for doing so, it says that you value your time and the time of others – and you’re prompt, efficient and businesslike”.

Is this just for businesses? Of course not! Volunteer groups and interest clubs are perhaps the worst offenders for starting meetings late. Generally, these groups are more about camaraderie and having fun. Despite this, attending meetings isn’t why members joined in the first place. Respect for your time and the attendees time is still a vital component.

If you’re the one calling a meeting, you can solve this problem and here’s how:

• Send out an agenda a week before the meeting and state that the meeting will begin on time.

• A day before the meeting send out a reminder and again remind the recipients that start time will be adhered to.

• A few minutes before start time, close the door.

• Start on time – duh!

• If someone arrives late, don’t acknowledge them; continue with the meeting agenda.

• Follow the suggestions for running a successful meeting outlined in my Aug 30, 2014 column entitled “Meetings Don’t Have to be Dreaded”.

• The Meeting Guru makes a wonderful suggestion. “Consider creating a “latecomer jar” to which meeting participants must contribute one dollar for each minute they arrive late to meetings. At the end of a period of time, you can buy muffins or donuts for everyone who attended the meetings….. courtesy of the latecomers!” Gotta love it!

• If you follow the above, it won’t take long for attendees to figure out that your meetings begin and end on time, and I’m betting they’ll be on time every time.

Mary Anthes is a retired business owner, speaker and a Distinguished Toastmaster. She can be reached at nmanthes@shaw.ca.