Meetings can be an important communication tool for a business. They allow us to make sure groups of people are on the same page and can improve our communication and decision making (“two heads are better than one!”).
They are easy to mismanage, though, and have the potential to create a total time suck if we don’t manage them. Even when the meeting is outside the realm of business - such as with a peer group, a bad meeting can leave us feeling unfulfilled. There are some simple ways we can make sure to control our meetings instead of them controlling us.
1. Before the Meeting
Why are we having it?
Meeting Organizers - Communicate and be clear on the purpose of the meeting.
Meeting Attendees – Make sure you know why you are invited to the meeting and what its purpose is.
What is expected from everyone? There are three basic types of meetings. Let people know what kind they are attending.
Decision Making – By the end we have to make a decision on something.
Information Sharing – Primary purpose communication and bringing everyone on the same page.
Brainstorming – Working session to come up with ideas or solutions.
Don’t start the meeting cold. Make sure attendees have enough information about the topic and background so they have time to think about things before the meeting starts. This reduces the amount of “thinking” time and increase the amount of “productive” time.
2. During the Meeting
Start on Time and End on Time. And allocate the right amount for the purpose (all meetings don’t need to be an hour just because that is your default setting in Outlook….). Shorter is better.
Keep the meeting on task. Don’t let tangents get in the way.
3. After the Meeting
Make sure everyone understands the next steps and responsibilities when the meeting ends.
Summarize your take-a-ways after every meeting. Take 30 seconds right after the meeting ends, no more and no less, and write down the most important points. You will always make sure to walk away with something from each meeting.
“You will never see eye-to-eye if you never meet face-to-face.” – Warren Buffett
“Time is really the only capital that any human being has and the thing that he can least afford to waste or lose.” – Thomas Edison
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