“This meeting should have been an e-mail” is something you will often hear from employees in organizations of all sizes around the world. This is especially true in the modern-day working environment, thanks to the seemingly constant online meetings many remote and hybrid workers have to participate in.
With that said, the negativity towards meetings isn’t necessarily due to the fact that they’re not needed, but mostly because they’re not prepared for properly. Meetings between leaders and team members remain one of the best ways to collaborate on projects and communicate clearly about important topics. However, in order for meetings to be effective, organizations have to take a few key steps and establish some ground rules.
How To Make a Successful Meeting
If you want to prevent wasted time and ensure that employees and team leaders don’t dread joining meetings, there are a few tips you should follow. The three meeting-saving strategies outlined below come directly from some busy chief executives and chairmen, as quoted by the New York Times.
Have a Clear Agenda
Every meeting should have an agenda and certain goals that have to be accomplished during the allotted time. A good practice is to share the agenda with all participants beforehand so they can prepare for the topic at hand and be ready to participate in the conversation actively. Better yet, use a tool like Docket to collaborate on agendas with meeting participants in real-time.
Keep on Schedule
Make it clear to all participants that the meeting will start and end on time. If they want to participate, they have to be punctual, as you will not be willing to wait for them. That way, you will not have meetings that overlap one another. Team members won’t have to jump from one meeting to the next without any time to take a breath. Wasted time is wasted money!
End With Action Items and Next Steps
As we mentioned during the first step, you need an agenda with a clear goal. This means that by the end of the meeting, each person should know what they have to do next. Each meeting should end with an action plan and individual action items so the team can move forward with confidence. Ultimately, the goal is to completely remove redundancy in meetings and messages.
In Conclusion
Meetings are what we make of them. If you follow the ground rules set out in this article and you make sure all participants are aligned with them, you’re sure to see your organization’s meetings change for the better.
