The Value of the Pre-Wire
May 9, 2008
When I was with APM I learned the phrase “pre-wire.” A pre-wire is simply the meeting before the meeting. As consultants it was important to share the meeting agenda with the customer and be aware of any concerns that they may have. As a manager I still find pre-wires important. For example, we always review the IT Steering Committee agenda with the chairperson a few days in advance of the meeting. The better prepared I am for the pre-wire the better the Steering Committee meeting will go.
Whenever you are trying to get approval for an important decision it is always a good idea to have pre-wire meetings with all of the major decision-makers. Often, just taking the time to meet with meeting attendees in advance is enough to make them sympathetic to your position. A good manager will know the outcome before the meeting ever starts.
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1.
Summy | May 10, 2008 at 8:06 pm
Very timely.
I just wrote something similar- didn’t know it had a name prewire
Meeting Prep For Managers- How To Look Good At Meetings Even When Your Employees Try To Sabotage You
2.
Derek | May 11, 2008 at 11:19 am
I agree, At GP I always made sure I had aproval from the key technical folks BEFORE the review meeting. By working with them the week before, I was able to find out thier objections, offer solutions, and get thier buy in before I presented to the larger group.
3.
sandersonp | May 12, 2008 at 6:14 am
To my fellow readers: Have you ever sent a draft document around to co-workers asking for edits and comments? If you have, then you too have participated in a form of pre-wire. Great post. Thanks.
4.
EMR and HIPAA | May 15, 2008 at 6:12 pm
I’ve never heard it called that way, but I’ve definitely seen the benefit of meeting before a meeting. We can all appreciate less meetings and a “pre-wire” helps to make meetings shorter and more effective.