5 Ways to Run a More Effective Meeting

Robert Caro has written five books over his 50-plus-year career — concentrating specifically on Lyndon Johnson and Robert Moses.

Caro’s detailed analysis of each and his remarkable storytelling built around countless interviews has earned him two Pulitzer Prizes, National Book awards, and a slew of other medals. At 86 years old, he is still writing, attempting to finalize the final volume of his LBJ series.

It is well known in writing circles that Caro is deliberate and painstakingly slow when it comes to penning his books. But his methodical approach doesn’t occur by chance. It is part of a deliberate plan that began on the campus of Princeton University.

While he was a student, his English professor, R.P. Blackmur, admonished him to “stop thinking with your fingers.” Blackmur saw great talent in Caro’s writing that easily led to high marks. But he wanted more — and he knew Caro had it.

Blackmur essentially wanted Caro to intensely outline his thoughts before sitting in front of his typewriter, thus enabling him to find the right sequence of words for the story he would write.

Blackmur demanded that Caro engage the reader with thought-provoking sentences, conveying his intimate knowledge of a subject. From that moment on, Caro slowed down, developing a finely-crafted method for his working life.

There are several lessons from Caro's early years. We should ask ourselves: How much time do we spend preparing for a meeting with those we lead? Do we run meetings with our fingers and voice? Do we wing it and use our memories to produce the right collection of words to inspire those we lead?

Follow these five steps as you prepare for your daily, weekly or monthly talk:

1. Write down the No. 1 item to address and communicate in your presentation. Know the most critical element. What is the one thing you want everyone to remember about your presentation? What will the water cooler talk become?

2. Outline how you want to address the specific point. Find a story that helps shape your point with great clarity. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER talk without an outline. Spending a full hour to talk for just 15 minutes is the best investment you can make for those you lead. BECOME AN OUTLINE FREAK.

3. Never use the word BUT. "But” is a contradictory conjunction, and should not be used after a positive phrase if your intention is to be positive. Often, “but” signals that whatever came before is not wholly valid.

4. Be direct, don't sugarcoat your message and have evidence to support your critique. We have to accept criticism for improvement to occur.

5. Praise those who do well — and always raise the bar for more. Being satisfied is never an option.

If you want to learn more about Caro's process, his book "Working" provides great details to improve our leadership methods.

Honing our communication skills as leaders will take time, but the benefits are immeasurable.