Meetings can be fantastic tools to get things done faster.
But most people have an image of meetings being a terrible waste of time.
And some can be. Following the rules outlined in this guide will ensure that meetings you manage will be an effective and productive use of time.
Before the Meeting:
1) Decide if a Meeting is Necessary
Meetings are a form of communication, like:
- A phone call
- A chat message
- Comments on a shared Google Doc
While meetings can get things done, they require hours of preparation as well as follow-up actions. That holds true especially when you consider multiple people attending are preparing and following-up after.
Could you achieve the desired outcome with one of the above means of communication? Then try it and save some time in everyone’s schedule.
If you try and it doesn’t achieve the desired outcome, at least information has been shared in advance, and meeting time can focus on the problem at hand.
2) Set an Agenda in Advance
Even a bulleted list of topics to discuss is a start.
This needs to be guided by whatever outcome you’re hoping to get from the meeting. If you don’t know what you need from the meeting, then a meeting isn’t necessary.
But some things to prioritize when preparing the agenda:
- Include all necessary materials and information everyone in the meeting needs to know in advance of sitting down to discuss
- Make sure everyone attending the meeting has the agenda a day in advance of the meeting, to allow for additions or changes
- Set a time limit for the meeting
One of the goals of having an agenda is to give everyone involved ample time to prepare.
If you’re invited to a meeting without an agenda, ask for one so that you can properly prepare.
If you find yourself having the same meeting on a regular basis, you may want to consider either:
- Creating a standard agenda template for that type of meeting
- Having a standard protocol (ie: “when X happens, then we do Y”
3) Know Who is Attending the Meeting
Who attends the meeting can make or break the outcome. A key decision maker not attending, for example, can torpedo the chances of a desired outcome from a meeting if the goal is coming to a consensus.
Limit the number of people attending a meeting. Meetings are generally intended to make decisions and get work done. With the exception of sharing sensitive information, meetings are not the best way to just share information.
During the Meeting:
The absolute most important part of managing an effective meeting is to own it. Take charge of the agenda and keep your meeting moving forward. Good, effective meetings are the product of good leadership, and leadership is in the art of execution.
Lead by example in your meetings by behaving how you want all attendees to behave.
4) Start the Meeting on Time, and End it on Time
The only way to ensure being respectful of everyone’s time is to encourage everyone to be respectful of everyone’s time.
Regardless of whether everyone has arrived, start your meeting on time. Setting a precedent that meetings you lead start on time while start to train everyone involved to show up on-time, eventually.
On the other extreme, end meetings on time, regardless of whether you’ve come to a conclusion.
You may just be sitting by yourself at the start of more than a few meetings. Or host a meeting that ends before you reach a conclusion. It happens, but change that’s worth happening usually only comes slowly.
To keep time effectively, avoid back-to-back commitments.
5) Use the “Parking Lot”
One of the most effective ways to keep a meeting within time commitments is to use the parking lot.
That is, whenever a topic unrelated to the task at hand comes up, move that topic to the parking lot for later discussion either at another meeting or another venue.
In order to know what’s relevant, you need an agenda. The agenda serves as a compass for the conversation. Without one, you risk a rudderless meeting.
6) Don’t Bring Your Laptop or Phone to a Meeting Unless You Need It to Present
Enforcing a no laptops rule is hard at a company where the majority of our work is done online.
But it’s important for a few reasons:
- It keeps everyone focused on the task at hand. Not having a laptop in front of you removes the temptation to check email or do other work tasks that don’t relate to the meeting everyone’s attending.
- Not having a laptop in front of you forces you to prepare for the meeting in advance, since you lose the easiest way to prep on the fly during the meeting.
- It demonstrates to everyone that you’re involved. With one less major distraction, you have nothing to do but pay attention.
One major exception: if anyone is calling-in, avoid having them actually call via phone. Instead, use video conferencing so that they can benefit from the non-verbal communication that you don’t get on the phone.
7) Make Sure Everyone Has Their Say
As the meeting leader, you need to make sure one or a few voices don’t dominate the conversation.
Make sure everyone provides their constructive feedback. If you don’t need that from everyone present, then why were they invited in the first place?
8) Close the Meeting with an Action Plan
Plan to allot the final few minutes of every meeting to review next steps. You basically want to make sure everyone understands as they walk out the door Who will do what and by when.
Along those lines, cover:
- Who’s responsible for what
- Deadlines for those tasks
- (If an option) who wants to help without being responsible
After the Meeting:
9) Follow-Up
The same day as the meeting, be sure to send a follow-up email. Include all pertinent information, such as:
- Decisions made
- Action items
- Who will do what and by when
If the meeting is related to a project you manage, a great recommendation is to set calendar updates for deadline dates so that you can provide accountability on those days.