Meetings are a common pain point for many employees. It’s no secret the improperly managed meetings are a productivity killer and they don’t always boost team morale. If you want your team and company to be successful follow these tips!
Establish an objective. A good question to ask yourself before setting a meeting is, what’s the objective of this meeting? Finding out your objective before pulling in all team members for a face-to-face can save you time in the long run. For example, if your objective is to just share a quick update, consider sending an email instead.
Discuss the purpose. Make sure to tell your team members the purpose of the meeting. Communicating this key element will help everyone prepare for the meeting. Team members will be able to bring any necessary information or questions they have. It could also help ease any anxieties about calling a meeting.
Choose the right people. Who should attend the meeting? Make sure to ask yourself this before gathering everyone. Time in the workplace is valuable, and so is productivity. Don’t add people to the meeting that don’t need to be there. Ask yourself who you need input from and who will participate.
Craft an agenda. Never told a meeting without an agenda. Having a plan will help you get from the beginning to end of your meeting in an efficient and timely manner. Make sure your agenda includes topics that need to be talked about and who will be talking about each agenda item.
Stick to the agenda. Staying on topic will also help you get through any meeting quickly. Most meetings don’t achieve their objective because the discussion goes away from the set agenda. Make sure to communicate how long the meeting will be. This ensures that you’ll be able to stick to the agenda.
Find ways to engage the audience. Use visual aids to keep all meeting participants engaged. Write the meeting agenda on a white board or use a presentation to keep things moving. Visuals will help employees pay attention and keep them from looking at their phones.
Follow-up and summarize. Always, summarize your meeting in a follow-up email. Make sure to include key takeaways, assigned tasks, and any deadlines. Sending out a follow-up within 24 hours will ensure that everyone is on the same page!