Recently, America lost one of the giants of late night
television, Johnny Carson. He was a master at his craft,
because he would conduct his show, essentially like a ninety
minute meeting. The program would be entertaining,
insightful, informative, and leave you wanting more.
Many times we fear going to meetings because we feel,
based on past experiences, that they are going to be boring,
not relevant, lack information, and we cant wait until the
meeting ends.
Here are my eight techniques used by Johnny Carson to
make your meetings outstanding for all involved:
1. Do Your Research
Johnny Carson would invest time before each show to find
out information on what was important to his guests and
audience members. He would find out about his guests
personalities, their interests, and concerns.
Why not do the same? E-mail the participants with your
agenda before the meeting. Ask them for feedback or any
concerns they may have concerning the meeting. This
allows you address any concerns before the meeting and to
think through any potential problems and come up with
better answers for solutions during the meeting.
2. Plan the Meeting
Master the details for your meeting. Set an agenda with
points to be covered and the time period for which they will
be covered.
3. Invite Only the Guests That Can Contribute
When Johnny was finished speaking with one guest, then it
was time to bring out his next guest and engage in
conversation with that guest. When he finished speaking
with his guests he would excuse them so they could leave.
Invite only the guests that are relevant to subject matter at
hand. How many times have you wondered, Why am I
here, this meeting doesnt pertain to me? Also once your
guest has contributed to the meeting and there is nothing
else in the meeting that pertains to them, excuse them so
they can leave.
4. Keep on Time
You knew every night the Tonight Show with Johnny
Carson would start at its assigned time (unless there was a
special event).
Starting you meeting on time shows respect for the
participants who made the effort to show up on time, and
lets the late comers know that this behavior is unacceptable.
Also designate one person to be the time keeper. They are
responsible for keeping you on track to stay within the time
limits for each subject covered in the meeting. The results
are that you start on time and end on time while
accomplishing your meeting agenda.
5. Set the Tone
Johnny would stand up and greet each guest with an
engaging smile and welcome. Do the same with your
meeting participants. Put them at ease for more informational
meetings. Let them know that you really appreciate their
feedback and participation.
6. Engage the Participants
Johnny would continue the flow of the conversation with his
guests by asking follow-up questions or summarize what
they said.
Ask additional questions to draw out important information
with your meeting participants. Say the following:
Tell me more about
Thats an interesting viewpoint, please explain further
If I understand what you are saying
If there are participants that are quiet, make it safe for them to
give feedback or suggestions. Say the following:
Mike, we would really like to hear your ideas on
Jane, you look like you really want to add something
important to the discussion, please tell us.
Once they make their comments say, Thanks for your
valuable comments. I look forward to you contributing more
insights in the future.
7. Make the Meeting Participants the Stars
Johnny Carson had a way of letting his guests, whether they
were infamous or famous, be celebrities on the Tonight
Show. He allowed them to tell their jokes and witty stories,
as well as complimented them, so that the stars were and
ultimately the show was successful.
You can do the same for your staff in meetings. You could
dominate the meeting and develop all the ideas yourself.
You wouldnt accomplish much because the meeting
participants would have no sense of ownership and would
be slow to initiate your ideas. Or you can encourage the
participants to contribute ideas so that they take ownership
of the ideas and take responsibility for implementing their
ideas. Also, acknowledge and reward these solution
creators in front of the group.
Let them shine!
8. End the Meeting the Right Way
While excusing his guests, Johnny would sincerely thank
them for coming on the show and compliment them on their
contributions. The guests left with a good feeling and
always wanted to come back again and again.
Make sure you thank the meeting participants for their time
and contributions. Let them know how they made a
difference in the meeting. If there were solutions created in
the meeting, communicate what is the clear course of action
to accomplishing those solutions. Express your confidence
that you know that these solutions will be achieved.
9. Follow-up, Follow-up, Follow-up
Johnny Carson would talk about how great a show was
because of a guest. This was another way to make the
guests on his show feel special.
Send an e-mail to all relevant employees, whether they were
in the meeting or not, explaining what was covered in the
meeting, what was decided on in the meeting, and what
course of action we are taking.
Also again, acknowledge key people in the meeting for their
contributions.
Follow these nine techniques used by the master of late
night and your meetings will be outstanding.
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