How to Master Productive Meetings

We all have probably been in a meeting, whether it be in an office environment, on a Zoom call, or on a classic phone call.

However, have you ever been in a meeting that seemed like it was full of confusion, chaos, or just simply not going anywhere?

If yes, you also might have wondered should this meeting have been like this or what could have gone differently.

If this resonates with you, unfortunately, it signals a significant presence of a detrimental meeting culture that you have encountered.

Well, I’ve got you covered on how to overcome this serious case of bad meeting culture.

Look no more, sit back and read on to see how to free yourself from another bad meeting!

About Meetings:

Meetings are crucial and carry a really important space for many different businesses.

In fact, meetings help share information, give out tasks, organize things, coordinate efforts, and plan strategies.

You can also imagine it as a big puzzle where all the company’s different branches and employees come together to work effectively and execute shared goals and strategies.

Although meetings are fundamental, we shouldn’t consider them as the main and final goal. They’re more like tools to assist us in reaching our goals. In meetings, ideas come together, decisions are put forth, and plans are made.

In essence, it’s key to understand that meetings are merely the bigger picture of how a business operates. They cannot be defined as the end goal but instead, shape and cultivate how we work together and how to boost the business’s overall goals and plans.

Moreover, perceiving meetings in this manner helps everyone stay on the same page, maintain their well-being, and ultimately see what really matters for the business at hand.

Tips to Enhance Meeting Effectiveness:

I’ve got some great news!

The bad meeting culture you’ve encountered doesn’t have to be permanent and can be eradicated. In fact, improving the meeting culture within a business is indeed a positive measure, and there are various prominent steps people can implement to boost this crucial process.

Regardless of your role in the business and decision-making process, you hold the strong ability to impact and add to the business in a positive manner to transform the very essence of the meeting culture. For instance, you can foster and champion best practices to put forth a more productive and effective collaborative environment within your business.

Here are the 9 tips you should follow to have better meetings:

1) Establish a set and clear agenda:

First of all, it’s important to recognize the importance of having a well-defined and set agenda.

If this isn’t the case in a meeting, do yourself and your team a favor by reconsidering any meeting that lacks the very importance of a clear agenda.

Meetings without an agenda serve no purpose and only lead to wasting your time and other team members’ time.

Although this first tip seems really straightforward, you’d be surprised at how many businesses overlook this very crucial part of having a good meeting culture.

2) Communication is key:

The second tip is in relation to communicating prior to the meeting.

You’ll be shocked at how effective and key this tip is once you’ve executed it.

Prior to the meeting that has been scheduled, it’s fundamental to set forth effective communication means and strategies to ensure that all the people in the meeting are well-informed and organized beforehand.

This dynamic and driven approach aims to eliminate wasted time and prevent any unpredicted surprises during the meeting.

Please note that it’s key to foster a balance, prevent excessive communication, and push for productivity and enhanced focus.

3) Promote participation:

Encouraging active participation among meeting participants is a vital part of having a meeting in the first place.

For example, the lack of engagement of meeting participants can lead to meaningless and minimal productivity of the meeting. It’s crucial to promote an inclusive environment where everyone feels a part of the meeting and can share their ideas, strategies, and goals which ultimately makes a meeting a meaningful one.

4) Aim for shorter meetings:

Strive for concise and consistent meetings, because aiming for shorter timed meetings can increase well-being, concentration, and reduce boredom.

For instance, consider having a 45-minute or even a 30-minute meeting, instead of a traditional hour-long meeting.

5) Keep a strong balance between structure and chaos:

To add on, this tip is another key part of having a strong and vibrant meeting culture.

Find the right balance between having a structured plan and some kind of flexibility in your meetings.

It’s also crucial to take into account your impact, such as being strict can stop new ideas from emerging and being too laid back can make participants become off-topic.

Please note that different situations need different levels of structure or flexibility, so it's important for everyone involved to work together to figure out the best approach that fits the specific needs of the meeting.

6) Close every point on the agenda:

It’s crucial to make sure to implement a thorough resolution of each agenda item during the specific meeting, as this is the main aim of the meeting in the first place.

It can get tempting to schedule more meetings to address other agenda points that can come up, it’s key to do what you need in that meeting to manage time, efficiency, and productivity.

7) Summarize the meeting:

This is another major tip! Take the initiative to put forth a great summary at the end of the meeting, as the mutual understanding may not end up the same at the end of the meeting or some points might be forgotten or worse overlooked.

It’s also essential to write all the core points as a summary to foster a shared understanding and avoid any confusion for the business and further meetings.

8) Change the meeting setting:

This tip is more in line with a productivity hack. It’s great to change meeting settings and the way you execute the meeting.

For example, you can push for a meeting in a more interactive environment, such as if you’re in an office where there’s a whiteboard to take notes or if you’re on a Zoom call aim for break rooms to interact and ask questions.

9) Maybe not have a meeting at all:

When deciding whether to have a meeting, think about whether it's the best way to share information.

Consider the costs and benefits, and see if sending an email might be a simpler and quicker option, saving time and resources.

Finding the right balance between having a meeting and using other communication methods is important for making smart decisions about when to gather in person and when to choose a simpler approach like sending an email.

To Conclude:

Meetings don’t have to be a bad environment where productivity, collaboration, and well-being means are minimal.

Fostering a good meeting culture is achievable with our 9 fundamental tips.

It’s time to empower your meeting culture and take action now…

Inspiration from: https://medium.com/@VanaiaLLC/how-to-have-more-effective-meetings-a93deabcbcb6