Increase Your Meeting Outcomes in 3 Steps
How many times have you participated in a meeting and thought, "couldn't they have just emailed this." These might be the meetings that do not start on time, are lengthy without purpose, detail futile topics, or leave team members more confused than they arrived. Regardless of the reason, though, no one likes their time and energy wasted, especially when they have a list of other tasks and responsibilities to handle. Therefore, managers must be diligent and intentional in planning for and executing their meetings to eliminate feelings of resentment due to wasted time and instead of fostering a new sense of drive and commitment within their team. Consider incorporating the following 3 tips to ensure that all meetings you lead are efficient and produce the results that you want.
Start with the End in Mind
The first question that you should always ask yourself when planning a meeting is this meeting's purpose. Answering this question will help you decide if your meeting is necessary, or if it is better suited as an email. The best way to show appreciation to your staff and team members is to give them their time back. In this case, it is canceling a meeting that does not have a useful purpose. Sometimes recurring meetings tend to dance on the line of meeting to meet. I promise you that it is okay to cancel a meeting if there is nothing to discuss. Your team will be greatly appreciative of it! Everyone can use the extra time to tackle their tasks and deliverables. If you need to meet about something, in particular, feel comfortable cutting a meeting short once you have completed your objective. No need to waste time on the clock just for the sake of doing so.
Know Where You are Headed
Maps and markers have been in existence since the beginning of time to help travelers get from one point to another- and back again. Agendas are just that for meetings. They ensure that you are on the correct route to meeting your meeting objective and allow you something of which to anchor in case the meeting starts to get sidetracked. As a bonus, you should always aim to provide meeting agendas in advance. Receiving an agenda in advance allows meeting participants to preview the meeting topics and come prepared with the appropriate updates and outstanding questions. Overall this promotes more efficient and purposeful meetings. It also avoids meetings going over the allotted time due to discussing topics that are not slated to be addressed. Lastly, it assists you in maintaining organization when managing multiple projects and timelines simultaneously.
Should it be a Meeting or Can It Be Put in an Email
Many of us have attended meetings that consist of one person speaking for an extended amount of time and everyone else working on other tasks on their computer. This is a clear sign that your meeting could have been an email. Meetings are times meant for collaboration and discussion amongst team members that might typically work independently. Whether it is updating the team on a project timeline or asking for opinions about a project's direction, meetings should be discussion-based. Therefore, if you find yourself merely giving orders and deliverables, your "meeting" might be better suited for an email. You should also examine if each participant is required to be actively engaged in the meeting. If their engagement is optional, perhaps they should not have been invited to the meeting, if none of the discussion points are relevant to their role. To combat meetings that could have been emailed, consider communicating deliverables in advance via email, and then meeting to discuss progress or outstanding questions. This will ultimately be a better use of time for all participants involved and make the meeting more purposeful.
Meetings are often considered to be necessary evils. When executed effectively, meetings can streamline communication and knowledge amongst a team-leading to greater efficacy. However, when not managed effectively, it can leave team members annoyed and resentful. After incorporating these tips, let us know how your meetings have improved for the better!
Diana Williams, Resume Tailor
