Have you ever experienced a meeting that left you scratching your head? It could have been due to lack of leadership, an inadequate agenda, negative conversations, or an unengaged team.
Though it may not always be possible to avoid these scenarios, there are steps you can take to make your meetings more productive and get better outcomes. Here are a few tips for success:
1. Know Your Purpose
Knowing your purpose will enable you to facilitate more productive meetings and achieve superior outcomes. It can also inspire you to live a more meaningful and satisfying life.
Discovering your purpose can be done either consciously or unconsciously through activities that prompt you to reflect on what matters most to you and why. For instance, The Greater Good Foundation’s Purpose Challenge asks high school seniors to imagine what they would do with a magic wand and the power to transform any situation they choose.
Reflecting on what drives you and why it matters can often provide a sense of purpose that aligns with your unique skills and experiences. For instance, if building eco-friendly housing is your forte, then working on projects that improve the environment or make communities more sustainable may be important to you.
Knowing your life purpose will enable you to stay focused on the things that matter most and motivate yourself to take action. It could even be as simple as making a list of actions you can take in order to move closer towards achieving it.
Once you have a clear purpose, communicate it to your team. Doing this will make it simpler to stay focused on the goals of the meeting and keep everyone on the same page.
Another essential step for a productive meeting is following up on action items and next steps. This involves assigning roles, responsibilities, and due dates to those responsible for specific tasks. Furthermore, providing notes from the meeting so people can refer back to them when needed.
It’s easy to get carried away in the frenzy of discussion during a meeting, leaving meeting agendas and other details forgotten. That is why it is essential to set aside time after each gathering to document and monitor its outcomes.
2. Don’t Over-Invite
Meetings take time and money, so it’s essential to invite only those necessary for the task at hand. Doing this will help your team avoid inefficient gatherings and yield better outcomes.
One of the most common mistakes that can sabotage productivity is having too many people in one room. This usually indicates a poorly planned meeting and little chance for anything worthwhile to get done.
Additionally, each person is wasting valuable time that could have been put to better use. If this occurs frequently, it’s time to start cutting back on meeting invites.
You might be amazed at how much more work you can accomplish by cutting back on meeting invitations. Think about all the times that you’ve been in meetings where everyone was staring at their laptops, talking away, and multitasking – it can be incredibly draining!
By eliminating this waste, you’ll be able to get more of the people who need to get things done in the room and have more time for meaningful interactions with them. This is an essential element in creating a culture of effective meetings that leads to happier and more productive teams.
One way to reduce meeting clutter is by making sure all invitations are concise and clearly state the purpose of the gathering and what outcomes you expect from attendees. This way, everyone knows exactly what to expect before they arrive.
It’s wise to make it effortless for anyone who wishes to decline an invitation to do so. Whether through the email address sent with the invite or Loom videos, be able to mark your status quickly (at least 24 hours before the meeting). Furthermore, if you need further clarification regarding what role is expected of you at the gathering, feel free to reach out directly to its organizer.
3. Be Prepared
Meetings are an invaluable tool for team collaboration. They can range from brainstorming ideas and creating a strategy, to finally reaching consensus on an important matter. Meetings provide an important platform for this type of discussion to take place.
Effective meetings take time and energy, which is why it’s essential to maximize each gathering when you have more than a few attendees.
Organizing the correct people for a job is one of the most critical steps you can take to guarantee a productive and successful meeting. Unfortunately, inviting in unproductive attendees may cause the gathering to drag on and negatively affect its outcomes.
To prevent this, decide who will gain from the meeting and which experts must attend. Based on that criteria, invite them accordingly.
It’s wise to establish some ground rules for the meeting beforehand. These could include who has the authority to ask questions and contribute ideas.
This will help keep the meeting focused and productive, rather than getting sidetracked with unrelated conversations or discussions.
As a meeting leader, it’s essential to possess effective time management techniques and plan ahead for the occasion. This could involve creating an agenda, assigning roles to attendees, and anticipating any questions or issues that might arise during the gathering.
Prepared, you can focus on the purpose of the meeting and leave with an actionable plan. Doing this will make a major difference in how productive and efficient your sessions run, leading to improved teamwork for everyone involved.
4. Keep It Short
Maintaining meetings in a focused and effective manner is paramount. If you find yourself spending too much time in meetings that don’t produce the desired outcomes, it may be time to reevaluate your strategy.
Recent studies reveal that companies spend an average of more than 31 hours each month in meetings that are unproductive. By eliminating these unproductive gatherings, your team will save countless hours of valuable time!
One simple way to keep meetings short and sweet is by reducing the number of attendees you invite. On average, meetings have between 15-30 people present; by cutting this down to two attendees per meeting, you’ll save an hour of work per gathering!
Another effective way to keep meetings brief is by guaranteeing they run on schedule. Setting an end time helps guarantee the meeting doesn’t go over and you achieve what’s on your agenda!
Furthermore, it’s essential to stay on topic during meetings. Venturing off into side issues that aren’t related to the main focus can quickly derail discussion and cause chaos.
One way to prevent this is by recording any important conversations or ideas not related to the main topic of the meeting on a flip chart or whiteboard. That way, when colleagues bring up these topics during the gathering, you can simply direct them away in the parking lot and return to them at the conclusion.
Following these tips will enable you to lead more productive meetings and achieve superior outcomes. In the end, everyone involved will find the events more enjoyable and productive. So why not start today? You won’t regret it!
5. Ask for Feedback
One of the most crucial elements for an effective meeting is seeking feedback. Not only will it provide invaluable insight into your performance, but it can also foster a culture of ongoing feedback within your organization and team.
Begin by asking a close colleague or trusted employee for feedback. Doing this is an effective way to build trust and psychological safety. Over time, gradually expand your feedback request to include more people.
For instance, you could ask your direct report how they feel about an important project that is nearing its conclusion or if there are any potential areas for improvement. Doing this encourages them to take ownership of the process and be accountable for their actions.
Another effective way to request feedback is setting a specific time and place for the conversation. Doing this ensures that the individual you are speaking with won’t be too busy to provide detailed remarks.
Before the meeting, make sure you check in with the person you are meeting with to see if they can attend. Doing this will guarantee everyone has a chance to contribute and the conversation remains balanced with face-to-face exchanges.
Finally, make sure you follow up with those who provided you with feedback to determine how they have applied it to their work. Communicating next steps and action items promptly will encourage them to remain motivated in order to grow in their role.
Supervisors, it is especially critical to follow up with your employees after they provide feedback. Not only will this demonstrate that you value their time, but it can also inspire them to share more candidly in the future.
