Meetings. They’re a staple in business today. We all have them, we all hate them. There seems to be no general consensus on the value of meetings, but that doesn’t stop us from holding them every week. If you run meetings as part of your job and are always looking for ways to improve the results, I created this blog to provide you with some fresh ideas on running effective meetings.
The 35%
For managers, it usually takes about 35% of their time. In a way that should be fine, especially for managers wherein the expectations for them is that most of their time should be or is spent doing some sort of communication.
But the major problem here is not just the amount of meetings we have, but the amount of UNPRODUCTIVE meetings to conduct and attend. In fact, executives consider 67% of meetings to be failures.
Can We Have A Meeting?
Meetings are typically associated with negative connotations. When someone invites us to attend a meeting, we may have a phobia of some sort. For the time being, I will not have a solution or a response to the issue “should we have this meeting?” But, in the meanwhile, I recommend taking small steps forward to make incremental gains over time.
I am a great believer in making tiny, persistent improvements in everything I do. I would also highly recommend for you to do the same, and you can start by changing how to organize effective meetings. Meetings are becoming a big issue for office staff and workers. If you work in a business, then there is a chance that you too have meetings which do not get the results that they should.
In this blog post you will learn:
1. They achieve the meeting’s objective
Effective meetings have a clear objective. This means that you have a definition of success. And of course, you wouldn’t know if something is achieved if you haven’t clearly defined what needs to be accomplished.
Before setting up a meeting, ask your self “How would I determine if the meeting is successful?”
By being clear with your objective, you’ll likely to structure the agenda to meet that objective.
2. They take up a minimum amount of time
Effective meetings show respect to the attendees, and you show it by respecting their time. You should start on time and you should definitely end on time.
One of the common challenges I often see in meetings, particularly virtual ones, is waiting for late attendees. How to handle this is often subjective and would be on a case to case basis. But for me I often wait around 2-3mins before starting the session.
Starting and ending on time is important because it sets the tone for the rest of the meeting. If people know that they only have an hour to discuss a topic, they are more likely to stay focused. Ending on time also sends the message that the meeting is important and that everyone’s time is valued.
3. Effective meetings keep attendees engaged
Meetings are effective if all the attendees are focused on the meeting. If they are multi-tasking, then they are not their best selves and they aren’t able to fully contribute to the meeting, hence lowering the overall quality of the session. They are dragging down the attendees because of that.
If they’re not responsive when you offer them with ideas or ask them questions, they’re not engaged.
The best meetings are collaborative and inclusive, so that everyone involved is engaged in the process and committed to its outcome. A good meeting facilitator will help guide the discussion to ensure that everyone contributes their ideas and expertise, while also keeping participants focused on the goal of the meeting.
4. Effective meetings produce real, shareable results
Look back and think of the best meeting you’ve ever had. What made you say that it was the best one? Effective meetings are not about the meeting. They are about the results.
An effective meeting is one that produces real, shareable results. It may be a strategy session, an information exchange or a group decision-making process. But it should have a clear purpose, produce tangible outcomes and be followed up with action items to ensure progress on those outcomes.
Types of Meetings
You’ll get the most out of your meetings if you have a clear understanding of the type of meeting you’re arranging. As a consequence, you’ll have a better sense of who to invite and how to structure the event to meet your objectives.
In terms of meeting types, the following are the most common:
Meeting preparation, particularly if you are the organizer, can make or break a meeting. Have you ever led a meeting when you weren’t well-prepared or organized? Looking back, it’s really bad, right? What if you were a meeting attendee? What would your reaction be?
It is your responsibility as the meeting organizer to prepare for the meeting. You are requesting other people’s time, therefore you should treat it with the highest respect by planning beforehand. The following are some suggestions to consider:
Before starting, define a clear objective for the meeting.
Before sending that meeting invite, know exactly what you want to get out of it. What do you need to accomplish? What type of meeting is this? What are the key issues you’ll address? What decisions need to be made? These questions should guide the discussion and keep it moving forward.
Send out the agenda and other supporting materials before the meeting.
Organize your agenda beforehand. Make sure each topic is clearly defined and that all participants understand how they fit in the big picture.
A meeting agenda assists you and your colleagues in preparing for a meeting and navigating the topics to be discussed. Also make sure that all necessary documents are in one place and that everyone on the project has access to them. By giving a clear list of topics, objectives, and time frames, the effort spent creating an agenda will likely save time for all meeting attendees.
Be Inclusive.
Make sure that the right people are in attendance. The right people being those with the knowledge and authority to make decisions or contribute to the discussion at hand.
Your meeting won’t be as effective if you don’t have the correct people in attendance. This means that you’ll spend a lot of time talking about things that don’t require everyone to participate in order to make progress. Make sure that only those who can contribute are invited to the meeting in order to get the most out of it.
The way you start a meeting has a significant impact on its outcome. It’s as if you’re giving a sneak peek into what the meeting will be like. It’s similar to meeting someone for the first time; you form certain first impressions that influence how you interact with them. You might feel relaxed if the person is really nice, or defensive if the person is questioning, for example.
As a result, it would be comparable to meetings. If you get off to a solid start, the attendees will feel like they’re in a nice meeting and will be more attentive and proactive. If you don’t get off to a good start, they may feel like their time is being wasted and will do other things during the meeting.
One of the first things that you need to ensure to have high-impact meetings is starting on time. Starting on time ensures that you show respect to everyone in attendance.
The next key thing that you should do is to create an alignment at a critical point of a meeting: the beginning.
It is important to set the tone for a meeting and to get everyone on the same page. This involves establishing the purpose of the meeting and what everyone expects to get out of it. It is also helpful to define the ground rules and expectations for behavior. This will help to ensure that everyone is on the same page and that the meeting is productive. Aim to communicate well what’s in it for the attendees.
At the start of the meeting, you should also provide the session’s agenda. The agenda, in my opinion, is your strategy for achieving the meeting’s goal. You should use the meeting’s agenda to demonstrate to the attendees that this is your strategy for achieving that goal. It would also be preferable if you have three main points on your agenda. Your audience can only remember three or four points at a time.
Meeting Execution
Did you know that 59% of people hate meetings that are not staying on topic? When someone goes off track with the meeting, go back to the agenda. Pivot the discussion to align what was stated at the beginning.
If you feel compelled to discuss something that isn’t on the agenda, and you don’t want to bother other meeting attendees, move the topic to a new session. Everybody will thank you for it.
Closing of the Meeting
Although the finish of the meeting is not as crucial as the beginning, it can make or break the meeting. You don’t just say, “Thank you for your time, everyone. I’ll see you around.” No, that is not how you end a meeting. That is not the case. You must provide a good conclusion. To end a meeting appropriately, you should:
These steps are important not just because they ensure that the meeting accomplished its goal, but also because they ensure that appropriate follow-up and accountability are in place, especially if your meetings are for making and implementing decisions. Meetings do not exist in a blackhole. They are a vital tool for planning and executing projects.
This blog post discussed how to make meetings more productive. You may make your meetings more productive and less stressful by following the guidelines mentioned. If you want to improve your meeting skills, try incorporating these ideas into your next meeting.