Top 10 ideas to make meetings very productive

“Team – let’s all gather quickly for a Meeting” – when the word ‘meeting’ reaches the ears of people, everyone will have few thoughts like what the meeting is about, how long will it take, do I need to give an update, why the meetings is scheduled now, etc, etc.,

In spite of all these questions, at last we end up in attending the meetings. Generally, meetings in any organization are meant to be the focal point of productivity. Meetings are generally conducted when one needs to brainstorm new ideas, discuss any current crisis, make important decisions, announce any achievements, etc. Meeting is a powerful platform and a useful strategy store for sharing work progress and connecting with others.

As Morgenstern says: Good and effective meetings usually share two characteristics: they have a clear, defined objective (or outcome that needs to happen by the end of the meeting) and everybody in the room knows why they’re there and their role.

Unfortunately, many meetings end up being the exact opposite of productivity and in many instances, meetings have been used as a discussion forum instead of taking key decisions. On the other hand, excessive and long run meetings have a significant negative effect on productivity and employee motivation. Research has proved this over and over again.

Fortunately, these obstacles can be avoided by making a slightly more proactive effort in planning meetings and also following few guidelines. So, how do you make sure all your meetings are productive and efficient? Check out these 10 tips on how to run a perfect meeting.

1. Decide if you really need to hold that meeting

“If your meeting can be replaced by an email or a memo, don’t hold it,” says Ross Andrew Paquette, CEO, Maropost. Some questions to ask when you’re trying to decide if a meeting is necessary, and it includes:

• Do I need input from others to make progress?
• Does moving forward with this requires a face-to-face conversation?
• Is this meeting the most valuable use of everyone’s time?

If the answer to any of these questions is NO, forego the meeting until all the materials are prepared and it makes sense for everyone to meet.

“Save meetings for when nothing else will do, for when you need people in the room, for when their presence is more than a courtesy but a contribution” – Ross Andrew Paquette.

2. State the Objective(s) clearly

At times, we would have gone to a meeting with only a vague agenda and sat through a discussion with no end in sight.

To make your meeting more effective, you have to establish its goals beforehand. Do you want to get to the bottom of an issue? Decide on something? Disseminate information? Develop an action plan. It may sound simple, but if your meeting doesn’t have an objective, it won’t have any direction.

If you’re unsure what you’re trying to accomplish, you can be sure it won’t happen. The number one factor for a successful and effective meeting is having a clear goal and a concrete agenda.

The goals that you set for the meeting will determine other important details, including the all-important agenda and who should actually attend it. Just make sure that the goals you establish are actually doable within the allotted time. A basic agenda, shared in advance with all relevant documents, keeps everyone on track.

3. Avoid times when people are more likely to be distracted

Don’t schedule a meeting at the end of the day, when people would normally be getting ready to leave, or early in the morning, before the normal working hours. Similarly, studies have shown that meetings held right before lunch, or during lunchtime without providing food, are less productive, as people tend to be hungry and distracted.

The best times and days to hold meetings is between 9 and 11 or 2 and 4 and on Tuesday through Thursday.

4. Start the meeting ON time and end it in the scheduled END time

Late arrivals can consume up to 5-10 minutes of the meeting, or in most cases – make the meeting 10 minutes longer. Waiting up for people who are habitually late is unfair to those who show up on time.

The solution? Don’t wait for them. Starting the meeting ON time. It seems to be harsh but in order to develop a reputation for promptness, it is better to send a clear message to the latecomers.

5. Consider a Stand-up meeting

Stand-up meetings have become popular team rituals. Employees become more engaged, more collaborative, and less territorial when they participate in a project that involves standing. Nothing conveys urgency like being on your feet during a meeting.

Standing during meetings also encourages participants to lay off their electronic devices, avoid distractions, and keep deliberations short. In other words, standing meetings end up doing more in less time. There are also added health benefits of breaking up prolonged periods of sitting down.

6. Appoint someone to take notes and keep track of the time

Assign someone to take notes of what is being discussed, then share these notes as a summary after completing the meeting. You may also want to appoint an official timekeeper to keep track of how much time is consumed and to respectfully remind everyone how much time is left for each item in the agenda and the entire meeting.

These items will assist everyone to stay aligned with your thoughts and action items.Try these tools to keep track of your meetings and appointments.

7. Encourage Creative suggestions/ideas

A successful meeting should result in creativity and energy. This happens when people are actively participating, not just passively attending. Brainstorming sessions are common, but too often is an ineffective practice. It’s not the actual idea generation that matters, but following through with the ideas is much more important. Whatever may be the agenda of the meeting, try to get some input from your peers. Identify people, and ask their opinion on the matters that were conveyed. Even, if they don’t have points it is good and some people will take the courage to put forth their points. I am sure great ideas will come from great people.

The most important factor in any meeting is, if anybody open up and talks, first thank them, listen fully to their points and encourage them to give more suggestions. Even if their points are not up to the mark, try to encourage them to add more points in future meetings too.

8. Focus on what needs to be discussed

The hardest task to accomplish in leading a group of people is to grab their attention. Whether it’s the organizer or co-organizers, someone should always take the responsibility of guiding the meeting on the key points and bringing back the deviated discussion to the assigned topics.

And suppose, if multiple people give their opinion and you cannot take decisions, note down all the points and get back to the discussion. Don’t keep on discussing the conveyed matters or points which require a long discussion.

Be clear in conveying points, give a pause and get a reply often so that both sender and receiver are on track.

9. Practice Q & A

The organizer/speaker should actually engage employees to ask questions. Meetings are an excellent place for practicing the skill. The Q&A session is often pushed to the end of a meeting, leaving just a couple of minutes for it. However, this segment is also important as the rest of the meeting. When a concrete action plan is set up at the meeting, but follow-up questions are left unanswered, the result can spell disaster.

To ensure more meaningful engagement, consider extending the Q&A session to match the length of the meeting. We can even collect questions about the topic in advance by sending the gist of the meeting and asking a team to send their view/points before the meeting starts.

This can help on several levels: Organizer can plan their talk more effectively, and the team will have the time to consider ideas instead of scrambling to come up with questions at the end of a meeting.

10. Follow up

The art of follow-up is a vital professional habit, and it also matters a lot in the case of meetings.

It’s quite common for people to come away from the same meeting with very different interpretations of what went on. Document the responsibilities given, tasks delegated, and any assigned deadlines, and send out the meeting notes on the day of the meeting. That way, everyone will be on the same page.

For very important matters, make a note on a shared team calendar or task management software, to continue following up until you reach a resolution.

Finally, the key to successful meetings lies in communication. Especially if you’re experimenting with new formats, ask your peers for feedback, be open to suggestions, and provide your conclusions on what they think, not how you personally feel. If your team feels engaged and effective, you’re on the right track.

So, at the end of every meeting ask: What is the next action? Who has it? And when will we follow up about it?

Once you have set standards for efficient, effective, and entertaining meetings, I am sure your meetings will be the best part of your workday.

Be CLEAR, FOCUSED, and PUNCTUAL in your meetings.