How to Make Meetings Work!: The New Interaction Method

by David Straus, Michael Doyle

Tested on more than 10,000 participants, the Interaction Method of conducting meetings is proven to increase productivity by up to 15 percent. Demonstrating how time and people can be better used in meetings, this thorough manual is indispensable for any organization--from large corporations to the PTA.

Genres: Business, Leadership, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

Reviews

[Marit · Rating 3 out of 5]

A straightforward book that builds upon a small company's methodology. Their way of structuring meetings with assigned roles that separate out tasks in order to alleviate tension and subjectivity makes a lot of sense. The examples go on a bit too long and the ending tries to draw together a bit too many disparate leadership & scenario ideas. But a worthwhile quick read that provides plenty of food for thought & experiment.

[Dustin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Solid advice on how to prevent unhelpful meetings, but a bit dated overall. The method proposed here as a model will be old hat to anyone exposed to decision making in coops or collectives; might be new to someone whose only experience is in traditional business meetings that lack experienced project management.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

FINALLY FINISHED!

I did enjoy this book. It got repetitive toward the end which is why I struggled to finish it, but I did learn about how to hold effective meetings. I do not know if I can necessarily employ the methods taught any time soon in my current work environment, but it gave me something interesting to think about.

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have skimmed through many books with titles claiming to reveal the secrets of holding a great meeting, however, none lived up to my expectations. Initially I had qualms about the content of this book when I first picked it up. The reason I decided to give it a chance was because of the words "The new interactive method" circled boldly on the cover. And I am glad I did.
From the very beginning, Doyle tackles the dynamics of a meeting: why have meetings, what makes it unsuccessful/successful. When he introduces "the interactive method", my heart skips a beat. This is it! As the book progresses, I can envision how successful this method would be for any meeting (formal/informal). Without revealing much, I'd say that the author has managed to cover every aspect of the subject. As I read, questions would pop up in my mind such as, "what about the number of people", "the type of personality" and voila, the next one or two chapters are dedicated to my line of thought! Throughout the book, great emphasis is put on inclusion of team members during meetings. Also, the authors drive home the message that it is time to part from the traditional beliefs of dictatorship during meetings.
Anyone who is/will be attending many meetings, this book will be a great asset to your existing knowledge. You'd discover that meetings can be made MORE productive and innovative. If you think that you are doing absolutely everything right during your meetings, I suggest you read this book! I am pretty sure, you'll end up learning a thing or two.
And for those who think they have no meetings to attend, think again: what about with your friends? social functions? religious gathering? You won't be disappointed after reading this rich text!

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an easy read and offers lots of practical tips for people who have to run meetings.

The book focuses on having a neutral facilitator who can monitor the process of the meeting while the meeting participants focus on the content. Most of my meetings aren't run that way--but I still found the book useful and am already thinking about how I can use their method more.

The best section of the book is on solving problems in meeting. It breaks down problem solving into a series of steps and suggests tools to use at each stage of the game.

PLEASE NOTE: You will violently disagree with the politics of this book. The authors believe that a well-run meeting can find win/win solutions to every social problem and eliminate the need for strikes and protests. Just keep in mind that there is an irreconcilable class struggle and we need to make our meetings more effective to win, and you will get a lot out of this book.

[Gerhard Peters · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very useful and practical book. The author's talks about fallacies in meetings and how to over come them. Then proposes a model to run meetings effectively. It even comes with agenda templates. I strongly suggest you to read this book if you want to make your meetings more effective and productive. The reason I only gave it a rating of 4 stars is because it has a bit of a self-help tone and a bit redundant as well.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read Facilitator's Guide to Participatory Decision-Making first, then read this one to round out your study. The introduction contains a few groan-worthy dated references, but if you overlook those you'll find some solid core concepts to guide your approach to collaborative meetings.

[Wade · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another one I had to read for a class. I really liked the interactive method to running a meeting, but then like most books like this they don't have enough material for a whole book so they fill the rest with junk.

[Christian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good tool to make sure you do drift into time wasting meeting habits.

[Raghu]

Read here and there. Very useful. I would like to master the priciples presented by the authors.

[Kristen]

Weird specialized metaphors

[Mills College Library]

302.34 D7546 1993