What's a "Barney Meeting"? When a group of people get together and dance around a topic and say nice things about each other and the work being done without ever accomplishing anything: that's a Barney Meeting.

At one company, I attended meetings run by someone for several weeks. The same problems got discussed each week. There was no decision ever made, no minutes, no action items, and of course no progress on solving the problems. But everyone felt good.

Each meeting was a complete waste of everyone's time.

The key to banishing Barney is preparation. Before the meeting, define who (the host) is running the meeting. The host should identify what should be accomplished in this particular meeting. Distribute a list of topics and decisions that should be made by the group. This should be distributed at least a day ahead of the meeting so everyone understands the topics coming into the meeting and decisons to be made. Nothing wastes time in a meeting than going over what the meeting is all about. Make notes for informal internal meetings. For external meetings (customers, partners, suppliers) create a formal written agenda and distribute it. If the meeting is longer than an hour, budget the time to ensure all topics get sufficient time. Define who is running the meeting (the host) and what preparation is expected from others. Also assign someone to create meeting minutes. For external meetings, the minutes should include who, when, why, decisions reached, and committed action items with a due date and responsible company/person for each action.

During the meeting, focus on the agenda and progress towards the goals. The host should monitor the discussions and gently nudge the group back on topic if needed. At the conclusion of the meeting, review the goals, action items, and schedule any required follow-on meeting (best time to schedule a meeting is while all the participants are still in the same room or on the same call). The meeting minutes should be compiled, reviewed by all, and distributed within a few days after the meeting.

If your company has ever had Barney Meetings, apply these principles to your meetings and watch how quickly your meetings turn productive.

-Don Burtis