P.O.P. Technique for Productive Meetings

Many meetings are unnecessary and unsuccessful. They lack an agenda (or plan); the intent of the meeting is not clear, nor are the expectations. Consider the meetings where some participants believe it is a brainstorming session, while others think the desired outcome
is to make a decision—this misalignment creates wasted time. To prevent this from happening to your meetings, try the easy communication technique.

P.O.P. is a simple, memorable (and mnemonic) device designed to align everyone on the meeting expectations, preparations, and outcomes (i.e., what does success looks like at the end of the meeting). Make it a requirement to accept all meetings and see how quickly your team will adopt it!

In the meeting invitation, require the following three elements:

1. Purpose – Why are we meeting?
2. Outcome – What does success look like when the meeting ends?
3. Plan (standing agenda) – How will the meeting be conducted to achieve the outcome?
   What is the agenda? Are there any pre-meeting materials that will prepare the participants?