If you spend a large proportion of your day stuck in meetings, you’ll know just how frustrating it can be to sit in a bad one. When you arrange a meeting, you’re taking up someone else’s time that they could be using to get on with their actual work, so make sure it’s worth their time.
Arranging a good meeting requires some considered planning and a bit of creativity. Learn how to turn your meetings from drab to fab with these five tips for arranging great meetings.
Set the right agenda. A meeting agenda is an important element for ensuring a successful meeting, but you’d be surprised at how many meetings take place without a set agenda. Designing a meeting agenda will make your meeting more effective, and you should ask for suggestions for meeting items from those who will be attending. Make sure every agenda item is timed to help make it easier to run your meeting to time once you’re all together.
Consider the needs of everyone in the room. It can be frustrating to go to a meeting where people are talking in a different language, or that use a presentation that’s too small to see. Give some consideration to everyone’s needs by making sure that you ask attendees whether they require anything that will help them to participate easier. Requirements can vary from needing English to Puerto Rican translation to someone requiring larger format print documents. Get into the habit of asking for people’s requirements in advance of the meeting, particularly with attendees from outside of your organization.
Keep them short. Short meetings are always welcome, particularly during busy periods. There are some good tips you can try to keep meetings short, such as using a timer or asking people to go around the table and provide a short, simple update. You should question whether some things even require a meeting at all and could be resolved on email or using cloud planning tools to come to agreements or provide updates on different workstreams.
Bring snacks. Many people find it difficult to concentrate on their work when they’re hungry, or lunchtime is approaching. Whether you have an early morning meeting, a pre-lunch get together or a late afternoon meeting, make sure you bring a selection of snacks (including healthy options) to help keep everyone awake and focused on the matters being discussed.
Set clear actions and reminders. We’re all guilty of letting our attention drift during meetings, meaning things get missed or you find yourself not paying as much attention as you should be to what’s going on. As the meeting organizer, you can help others out by providing a recap and a list of actions at the end of the meeting to help ensure everyone is on the same page. An email will also work if time is short.
Making your meetings more effective helps you to be more productive, while also stopping you from wasting others’ time. Improve your meeting planning style to ensure great meetings going forward.
Mia Guerra
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