Meetings are a cornerstone of collaboration, but let's be honest—how many times have you walked out of one thinking, "That could've been an email"? If you're frustrated by meetings that feel like a waste of time, you're not alone. The good news is that with intentional planning and applying facilitation techniques, meetings can become powerful tools to move your work forward and foster connection among attendees. In this summary, I'll share practical tips for setting clear objectives—arguably the most important step in leading engaging and productive meetings.

Whether you're planning a 1:1, a weekly team call, or a quarterly board meeting, the practices I'll share here and in Part 2 and Part 3 will help you make the most out of the time you spend together.

Key Takeaways

• Setting clear objectives for your meetings is critical for intentional planning and effective facilitation.
• Objectives can be shared with attendees or kept personal to guide how you show up as a leader.
• Clear objectives help reduce frustration, improve focus, and prepare you to pivot when the unexpected arises.
• You can design effective meetings by following a predictable flow while tailoring the details to your specific goals and attendees.

Why Objectives Matter

Setting objectives isn't just a box to check—it's the foundation for a good meeting. It helps you:

1. Design a meeting that's more likely to achieve your goals.
2. Show up as the leader your meeting needs.
3. Set realistic expectations to reduce frustration.
4. Be prepared to pivot when things don't go as planned.

In my work, I've found it helpful to set two types of objectives: public and personal.

Public Objectives

These are the goals you share with attendees so they understand the purpose of the meeting. For example, the shared objective for a board meeting might be to "align on next steps for strategic plan implementation." These objectives often make their way into the first slide of a presentation deck or the meeting invite.

Personal Objectives

These are private goals that guide how you show up as the convener or facilitator. They help shape your mindset, behavior, and approach to the meeting. For example, a personal objective might be "create space for newer team members to share their perspectives" or "gather insights about team dynamics during project discussions." These objectives often focus on leadership presence, group dynamics, and meeting effectiveness.

Personal objectives can also center around relationship building, data gathering, or building your own expertise. Before every challenging meeting, I ask myself: What is a realistic outcome? This helps set the tone for how I approach the discussion. The shared or stated goal of the meeting may be for us to align on next steps for the strategic priority, but if I'm really honest, I might say to myself: