I've used this approach before in meetings where I suspected I was going to meet resistance to the ideas I wanted us all to form a consensus around.
I found that this approach is successful but, as sophacles says in a different thread, it can (in theory) lead to you become somewhat blinkered to better ideas. Since I know I'm right when I go to meetings this prepared it isn't an issue, right? ;-)
However, the main problem I found with this approach is not that it leads to me to reach detailed conclusions without all the input I may need to do so. I'm fortunate that a lot of people I meet with are either smart, experienced, stubborn, or some combination of the three - the information needed to reach a sensible consensus will often emerge.
Instead, what concerns me is the sheer amount of time it takes to do this much preparation and the opportunity cost I have to pay while I'm busy trying to get an "A" on one particular meeting.
There's a lot to be said for "winging it" (or, in the recent history of memes, "doing it live"). If you're confident in your ideas and in your ability to persuade people then over-preparing is a waste of time akin to procrastination.
I can't guarantee that arriving for a meeting without elaborate handouts will always lead to a better result. But in my experience I'd rather get 80% of what I want in 3 meetings than 100% of what I want in only 1 meeting.
Disclaimer: This advice obviously doesn't apply to the once-in-a-blue-moon meeting, e.g. meeting with a potential investor or asking your boss for a raise. My context here is working for a large bureaucratic organisation where meetings are a frequent and necessary evil in order to get things done.
I found that this approach is successful but, as sophacles says in a different thread, it can (in theory) lead to you become somewhat blinkered to better ideas. Since I know I'm right when I go to meetings this prepared it isn't an issue, right? ;-)
However, the main problem I found with this approach is not that it leads to me to reach detailed conclusions without all the input I may need to do so. I'm fortunate that a lot of people I meet with are either smart, experienced, stubborn, or some combination of the three - the information needed to reach a sensible consensus will often emerge.
Instead, what concerns me is the sheer amount of time it takes to do this much preparation and the opportunity cost I have to pay while I'm busy trying to get an "A" on one particular meeting.
There's a lot to be said for "winging it" (or, in the recent history of memes, "doing it live"). If you're confident in your ideas and in your ability to persuade people then over-preparing is a waste of time akin to procrastination.
I can't guarantee that arriving for a meeting without elaborate handouts will always lead to a better result. But in my experience I'd rather get 80% of what I want in 3 meetings than 100% of what I want in only 1 meeting.
Disclaimer: This advice obviously doesn't apply to the once-in-a-blue-moon meeting, e.g. meeting with a potential investor or asking your boss for a raise. My context here is working for a large bureaucratic organisation where meetings are a frequent and necessary evil in order to get things done.