Five pillars of a quality meeting (and Twitter chat)

Meeting in the Office

Working as the social media guy for a pretty big company, I spend a good chunk of my day on Twitter, responding to customers, promoting programs, spreading the good corporate word; and also personally for professional development, networking and information gathering (among others).

I see lots of good stuff in my feeds, and some tweets that aren’t so good.

Since meetings (and PowerPoints) are often staples of the business process, I also see a fair share of conference rooms, appointment notifications and recurring gatherings.

And just like tweets, some meetings are useful, and some meetings are – well, you get the idea.

This week I participated in the #pr20chat – a weekly Twitter discussion about PR and social media organized by Justin Goldsborough and Heather Whaling – and found a lot of value from the professional discussion, social media analysis and varied perspectives.

In jotting down my notes from the Twitter chat, the similarities crystallized between a quality Twitter chat and an effective meeting.

So, I broke it down and came up with five components that made the #pr20chat such a beneficial experience. At the same time, you’ll see that these principles are also characteristics of a good meeting (the kind you walk away from feeling inspired and accomplished – rather than hurried and rushing back to your desk to make up for lost time).

1. Organized leadership

Every Twitter chat needs a host (or hosts) to steer the ship in the right direction. They’ll keep the conversation moving and on-topic, and establish a good model for the rest of the participants to follow. If the head strays, the body will follow. Twitter-chat (and meeting) organizers need to plan ahead, and keep the goals and objectives top of mind. Kudos to Justin and Heather for doing just that.

2. Clear agenda

This usually goes hand-in-hand with organized leadership. A good road map benefits everyone participating, and the absence of a clear agenda is usually a red flag. In the context of a Twitter chat, as long as the host has constructed an agenda to direct the conversation, they don’t necessarily need to pass it out to everyone. They do, however, need to give the audience an idea of the theme and what to expect.

3. Relevant content

Just like your social-media content, the discussion and topics of the Twitter chat need to be of interest to the audience. Recognize what’s going to resonate, and give folks the opportunity to weigh in on the latest trends. I find much of the benefit just from hearing others share their experiences on issues that I’m dealing with too.

4. On-time

Run a tight ship by starting and ending the Twitter chat on time – your audience will appreciate it. If you’re joining the chat, try to be there for the introductions and the closing. Say hello, goodbye, and thank you!

5. Spam-free

Sometimes Twitter chats are organized with a self-serving agenda. How can you tell? Because participants in those conversations usually follow the lead, and spend the time spouting off product pitches, campaign promotions and other empty messages. This is a major turn off for me. Just like in meetings, attendees need to be there for the greater good and work toward the same mutually beneficial purpose.

SPAM

Now you’re armed to organize a healthy meeting and pick out a quality Twitter chat.

Any other qualities that I left out?

If you have a favorite Twitter chat that you participate in, please share in the comments!