Statistically, more than 50% of meetings held in companies are a complete waste of time. Managers have often been criticized for calling meetings after meetings which seldom achieve their objectives.
At the end of the day, everyone’s time was wasted and such has become something that big companies have been trying to get rid of (or minimize).
What is an Effective Meeting?
An effective meeting is one which is only called if it is ‘absolutely necessary. Bear in mind that every meeting involves 3 very important (and valuable) factors namely Time, Energy and Cost.
In other words, if you can run an effective meeting, you save time, cost, and everyone’s energy. Below are some of the methods where you can run effective meetings.
Define the Meeting Outcome(s)
This refers to the end result of the meeting. It serves as a guide for the meeting to achieve. Having 1 would be too much at times but if you really need to have more, stick to a maximum of 2 outcomes in a meeting.
This will help you not get derailed during the meeting as well. If you have your meeting outcome identified from the get-go, you will have the other factors all coming together too.
The biggest challenge is to get the right outcome. When you have the end result in sight, you will work your way there eventually.
For example, if your meeting is to come up with 2 ideas for Christmas, then you split the meeting into 2 parts, each part for every idea, in 30-minute intervals.
Person in charge and ownership
This is not about who does what in the meeting. It is about having ONE person in charge of the meeting.
That person will own the meeting, call for it, sends out the invites and make sure everything else is in place.
In most cases, the person who owns the meeting is the same person who will be deciding on the outcome too. Basically, this is the leader who chairs and drives the direction of the meeting.
Outline an agenda
Having an agenda is a common practice. In many cases, the agenda of the meeting is sent out prior to the meeting so that the invitees know what to expect.
However, many people are unaware of the importance. An agenda is a roadmap of where the meeting will be heading.
The attendees will know and be aware of what is going on or will happen in the meeting so that they will be focused.
If you are the one who set the agenda, STICK BY IT!
Time Management and its significance
One of the biggest challenges meeting organizers face is time management. Give a start time and end time (estimated) and honor it.
It is perhaps the simplest to do but often the most difficult to achieve.
One of the best ways to do this is to have a large wall clock mounted in the meeting room or put one on the table during the meeting. This way, attendees know you are serious about time and will abide by it.
In some situations, companies shut the doors of the meeting room so that no one bulges in and disrupts the proceedings.
In your agenda, state how much time will be slated for each item so that everyone has a framework and is on board.
Getting your attendees prepared
Select attendees who will contribute to your meeting outcomes. Ensure that they are the ones who are directly involved so that they have the right information and preparedness.
There is no reason to call the entire team when only 1 of them is required thinking that you might need the help of the others.
As you have already sent out the meeting outcome and agenda to the attendees as well as the time allocated for every item, then you want the attendees to provide you with the input that you need during each session.
It is crucial that your attendees come prepared for their respective items on the agenda. If they need more time to compile their work before your meeting, ensure that they are given the provision.
Determine the right attendees
While it is a good and healthy practice to meet in groups in companies, it might not be the best option to involve so many people every time you call for one.
Calling for a meeting means you have the liberty to get anyone (or everyone) involved to sit together and deliberate on the issue.
Choosing the right people will help you to get more things done in a shorter period. The challenge really is who should you choose. The rule of thumb is to select attendees who could be:
- a decision maker
- a manager of the department
- an influencer of the department
- someone who can disseminate the information to the rest involved.
Putting it all in the plan
One of the biggest problems with meetings is that the same issue gets discussed over and over again. This is because you might have attended a meeting with no action plan involved.
Hence, the same issue came up and someone has to do something after that.
In your meeting, always have an action plan and a person in charge. There must be a deadline to get the job done.
When you have worked out the things that need to be done, then the next step will be the execution. This is extremely crucial so that the same issue does not come out again.
In other words, you start with a strategy and outcome. You have a goal in mind that you want to achieve. Then you have the agenda which is broken into various parts and then you have identified who should be taking charge of them.
This constitutes the very plan that you will have charted. That is all that your invitees need when they agreed to attend your meeting. To leave the meeting that has produced something that they expect.
And so that they have something to bring back to the next meeting to show that there are results.
