How often do you sit in a meeting that seems to lack focus? There is no successful organizational development strategy that includes a gathering of people who are distracted by thoughts of what else could be getting done and frustrated by the length of the meeting. A shift towards a more efficient organization includes something that occurs at the ground level: well-run and targeted meetings.
Effective and productive meetings not only create a space for open dialogue, but also leave people knowing exactly what took place and what is to take place next. Here are 4 tips to make your next meeting achieve these goals:
1. Consider these questions even before the meeting invite is sent:
- What is the purpose of meeting?
- Can that purpose be accomplished in a more time-efficient manner?
- Who needs to be at the table to achieve success?
- What information and resources does the team need to achieve the meeting goal?
2. Location matters.
Effective meetings are held where the location contributes and not distracts from collaboration.
3. Develop and communicate a clear structure to your meeting.A clear agenda identifies the goal and provides a map to reach that goal.
4. Maintain order in your meetings.Keep your meeting purpose at the forefront of all discussions. What is the expected outcome? A decision or brainstorming ideas? Sharing status reports? As the meeting organizer, you must stay true to reaching the outcome, but also hold others to it. Keep track of the time and minimize irrelevant or dominating input and side conversations that distract.Overall, make productive and valuable use of meeting time and don’t waste an opportunity to train your staff by example. Contact us to keep the discussion going.
by 