Meeting Effectiveness tips

 Many people resist meetings because there are too many, with too many participants and too little focus. Remembering these six tips upfront will boost your meeting effectiveness.

Meetings can be effective and efficient ways of communication because they enable lively interaction between two or more people. The unfortunate fact, though, is that many meetings are not at all effective or efficient..

 To boost your meeting’s efficiency and effectiveness, answer these six questions BEFORE every meeting.

1. What to talk about? 

If there is nothing to talk about, there is no need for a meeting. Focused attention is key. Make sure there is an agenda and send it out in advance so that everyone knows the purpose and content of the meeting. Stick to it and don’t end up in broad discussions.

2. Who should be there? 

Everyone necessary for making a decision or taking action should be there. No more and no less. Additional people will lose interest, while meetings with fewer people will remain inconclusive. It’s not always required to habitually meet with the entire team. 

3. When should it be? 

The timing of meetings is important. If held too early, not all necessary information might be available and, if held too late, much of the usefulness of the meeting is lost since decisions have already been made elsewhere. So, time well and plan ahead.

4. How long does it last?

Decide upfront how long the meeting will last and stick to it. Manage time well, and preferably don’t plan meetings longer than one hour because you’ll lose focus and pace.

5. What to deliver? 

Make sure every meeting ends with clear action points with a date and designate someone to be responsible. In the end, the purpose of the meeting is not meeting, but doing something.

6. When to meet next? 

Every meeting requires follow-up and usually that is done in a next meeting. Make sure you have that meeting planned (thereby keeping the previous five points in mind!)

It’s primarily the meeting organizer’s job to make sure that these guidelines are followed. However, it’s everyone’s responsibility that this way of having meetings becomes the normal way of working.

Which question is bothering you most? Do something about it!

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