Over the last several months I have participated (both internal and external to my institution) in multiple meetings and have witnessed a broad spectrum of managerial styles and results.
As is well known, an effective meeting requires an agenda, clear actions items, a mediator to effectively guide the discussion and an underlying respect for staying on time.
A major threat to effective decision making is TBU (True But Useless) information, as coined by the brothers Chip and Dan Heath in the book Switch. TBU is a saboteur of efficiency and clarity as it clutters both focus and facts that lead to a decision.
Minimizing TBU in meetings requires a disciplined and aware mediator who both politely and consistently redirects the discussion back towards immediate relevance. The rest is noise.
Avoid TBU.
