Meetings are inevitable in an organization. Especially now, when many teams are working remotely. But many people associate meetings with the waste of time.
Your meetings don’t have to be that. There are four easy changes you can implement today to make discussions more productive and focused, whether they are remote or not.
In this video, I share my personal tips for improving your meetings, and potentially, getting some extra time in your schedule!
The four easy changes to your meetings
To summarize what I talked about in the video, the four small changes you can make right away to make some immediate improvements are:
Clear agenda
This is a rule you can implement in your team: no meeting without a clear agenda to be accepted. Agenda must be clearly written and the invitee must understand what it’s about and how they can contribute. Otherwise, there are more important things to work on…
The right participants
This one aligns with the previous step, but is more specific to the organizers. Don’t include everyone just in case. Instead, make sure you know how every participant can contribute. And if you don’t know, don’t invite them.
This one might seem like it creates silos and limits transparency as not everyone is involved in the discussion. But it’s all about communication: let the team know what kind of discussions are happening and then come back with the updates on what was decided. And if someone wants to attend, they are free to do so (as long as there is nothing more important on their plate).
Preparation
Another crucial point. Many meetings start with attendees trying to figure out why they are there…
That’s all backwards.
Encourage everyone to come prepared with questions or important information, especially if they are NOT leading or presenting.
And if this is a hard habit to establish for now, set aside the first 10 minutes of the meeting to let everyone prepare.
This can make your 3-hour meeting feel like only 2 hours and a half… Sorry, internal joke for those who know 😉
Facilitation
Last but not least is facilitation. It’s essential to have a facilitator of the meeting. And I highlight the word “facilitator”, NOT “leader” or “driver”.
A good facilitator will keep everyone on track and will be able to create a collaborative environment.
There are many ways to facilitate remote and in-person meetings. I share many in my blog posts, videos, and in my store to name a few. See how I can help you nail that next meeting.
These steps won’t work…
Ok, I don’t really have all the answers. And you might think that these four steps will not be enough.
I agree with you.
Often the problem is not just how your meetings are organized, but rather the culture in the organization. And this is a change that takes much longer then just a few adjustments to your agenda.
However, this would be a topic for another video, so stay tuned.
And what is your secret weapon for creating better meetings?
Share in the comments below 👇
