Meeting Tips- How to get the most out of your meetings

A person close to me once remarked: “I’m so tired of having meetings about meetings!” This sentiment sounds like it has the knack to ring true for so many employers and employees alike. Are we wasting each other’s time with senseless, unproductive meetings that leave us feeling frustrated? Do we barge out of the room muttering under our breaths what a waste of time that was? A survey in the U.S concluded that employees rated meetings as the number one productivity killer.

Let us take a look at some top tips on how to spend your meeting time wisely:

• Have an agenda. Staff members like to know what the meeting is about. It keeps them focused.
• Keep your tone energized and upbeat. Nobody wants to listen to an endless drone. The more upbeat you are, the more enthusiastic they will be about executing what is asked of them.
• Explain why the meeting is important. The meeting will be much more productive if they know why they are there instead of being allowed to continue with the monstrosity on their desks.
• Only invite relevant people. Make sure you don’t have anybody sitting there that shouldn’t be. They will get bored and start to fidget which will in turn have a dominoes effect.
• Change things up a little. Conduct the meeting in a different style or tone. Play a game. Make things fun. Why should meetings be boring?
• Have a clear goal in mind and ask the right questions. At the end of the meeting summarise what you have said and how you wish to go forward. Make sure everyone is on the same page.
• Invite questions. Some employees are too embarrassed to ask a question in fear of ‘sounding silly’. Make mention that no question is insignificant or unimportant. Encourage active participation.
• Don’t let the meeting run late. People tend to switch off and get increasingly irritated. Respect their time and they will give you the same back.
• Lastly, be friendly and smile! Meeting don’t have to be overly serious. Relax and have fun. Let your positive energy rub off. Leave staff members walking out of the meeting exclaiming for all to hear: ‘That was awesome!’

By sticking to at least some of these points, meetings can be a fun, interesting part of any working day.