Meetings are crucial to the smooth-running of any organisation, they provide us with the opportunity to brainstorm ideas, make informed decisions and devise plans of action. However, they can also be notorious productivity killers!
A recent survey investigating the impact of meetings on workplace productivity, revealed some highly damning statistics. Not only were meetings listed as the second highest ranking productivity killer behind internet browsing, over half of respondents believed that time spent in meetings is simply wasted. Furthermore, 64% of managers researched, spend on average 14 hours per week in meetings!
As we appear to be faced with a ‘can’t live with them, can’t live without them’ scenario; here are five marvellous methods to make the most of meetings:
Preparation – Lay the groundwork for a successful meeting with a little prior preparation. Create and distribute agendas outlining: the date and time of the meeting, objectives, who will be in attendance, the topics up for discussion, presentation responsibilities and any required background reading.
Clear Objectives and END GOAL – Why have you called the meeting? What do you wish to accomplish and how are you going to do it? These are the questions which must be answered in the opening minutes of any meeting. Similarly, before concluding discussions, the meeting leader should refer back to the agenda to ensure that all objectives have been satisfied.
The Guest List – As the number of attendees increases, productivity DECREASES! Ask yourself beforehand, who is really required to attend? Fundamentally, meetings are called to facilitate decision making; therefore, only those with the relevant knowledge and privileges should be present. A summary email detailing all topics covered during the meeting will often suffice!
Timing is Everything – As touched upon earlier in the post, meetings are infamous, productivity killing, time thieves! In order to quell the disruption caused, make sure that meetings are scheduled appropriately and are not overlong. Studies suggest that the optimum duration falls anywhere between 30 and 50 minutes, any longer and attention spans start to diminish. It is also advised that all meetings should be concluded by 3PM.
Maintain Focus – How many times have you been in a meeting, making good progress before it was hijacked by someone going off on a tangent? Off-topic storytelling is a common cause of lost focus in meetings. While it’s nice to converse with your colleagues, you should avoid deviating from the aforementioned pre-defined agenda and objectives. Many organisations also enforce mobile device bans to maintain concentration levels. Get in there, get it done and get out!
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