From Discussed to Done: Three Questions That Make Meetings Productive
Bob Tiede has served on the staff of Cru for 55 years and currently serves on its U.S. Leadership Development Team. He is the creator of LeadingWithQuestions.com, where his blog—now in its 14th year—is read by leaders in more than 200 countries. Bob is the author of eight widely read books, including Great Leaders ASK Questions, Now That’s a Great Question!, and Success Unlocked. All eight books are available as free downloads at LeadingWithQuestions.com/books.
How many meetings have you left wondering:
“What did we actually decide?”
And the answer was:
“Not much. We talked about a lot of things, but I’m not sure we actually decided anything.”
Now for the harder question:
How many of those meetings were led by you?
Most meetings don’t suffer from a lack of discussion.
They suffer from a lack of decisions.
So how do you move a meeting from talking about things to getting things done?
The answer can be surprisingly simple.
In a previous post, “Strengthen Your Meeting Agendas” I shared one of my favorite meeting practices:
Turn every agenda topic into a question you want answered.
Instead of putting:
National Conference
on your agenda, ask the question you want answered:
How can we increase attendance at our National Conference?
Or instead of putting:
Customer Service
on your agenda, ask the question you want answered:
How can we turn customer complaints into satisfied customer endorsements?
Questions give your discussion a destination.
But there is still one more step.
Otherwise, your meeting can easily become:
We talked.
We discussed.
And then we talked some more.
That is when it is time to:
Call the Question!
In parliamentary procedure, “calling the question” means moving toward ending debate and making a decision.
I’m using the phrase a little more broadly here.
When the discussion has done its job, move the group from discussion to decision — and from decision to action.
How?
Ask three simple questions:
What? Who? When?
What are we going to do?
Who will do it?
By When?
When you consistently ask What? Who? When? — and then follow up on the answers — your meetings stop being places where things are merely discussed.
And before you move on to the next agenda item, ask one more important question:
What did we decide?
Now your meeting has produced more than conversation.
It has produced clarity, ownership, and accountability.
But there is one final step.
At your next meeting, don’t simply start with a brand-new agenda.
Start by reviewing the commitments from your previous meeting.
Ask:
What progress has been made on what we agreed to do?
Then review:
What was to be done?
Who owned it?
By When?
That simple rhythm can transform the productivity of your meetings:
Ask the question.
Have the discussion.
Make the decision.
Assign the action.
Follow up.
When you consistently ask What? Who? When? — and then follow up on the answers — your meetings stop being places where things are merely discussed.
They become places where things get done.
From Discussed to Done!
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