BUSINESS MEETINGS
Do we need Meetings?
It's important to ask this question before you call a meeting. According to the Harvard Business Review, a great many issues can be resolved quite satisfactorily when one person makes a decision and takes action. Furthermore, when two or more people converse via phone, email or other means decisions can also be made and issues resolved. Meetings can certainly waste a great deal of everyone's time, so it is important to ask yourself if a meeting is necessary at all. Don't just call one for the sake of it, or for historical reasons!
Benefits of Meetings
Meetings certainly have their benefits and in many cases are essential. As human beings, by nature we are social creatures, so if we are not interacting with our 'team' then that can affect company culture and our own well being. In our present world, where Covid can keep us apart, (with many people working from home in isolation) we have a basic need to come together as a group and feel part of something purposeful.
From a business perspective it's important that we get together to be able to table matters of importance, brainstorm ideas, have robust discussions, find out other viewpoints and perspectives, and come to an agreement for a way forward. The meeting of course provides the best forum for this whether it is in person or conducted virtually using Zoom or Microsoft Teams.
How to Run a Meeting
We've all been there right.... another meeting is called and we think about how we can get out of it, and what we could be doing instead of sitting in a meeting listening to people go on and on about topics that don't interest us. The same people monopolizing the meeting with their views and thoughts. The same people going off topic. No action points to speak of. This is what happens when meetings aren't run efficiently.
If you really want to get your team on board and start the process of defining what a good meeting looks like for your workplace or classroom, here is a free brainstorming template for you. You can print it out or use it digitally, (Type directly onto pdf).
The Importance of an Agenda
I've worked with many organizations' and attended more meetings than I care to count! When I think about the ones that I have actually benefited from, it is because there is a plan in place, usually in the form of an agenda, as a starting point. Meeting etiquette and processes have been clearly defined, and on completion of the meeting, action points have been recorded and assigned to people.
The meeting doesn't run over time, as time has been allocated to agenda items, and if time does run over for a topic, it is parked and can be discussed between relevant parties outside of the meeting. Strong leadership, in the form of a chairperson for the meeting will assure that all of these things are adhered to. Click the picture below to download worksheets and templates for Business Meetings.
Put a Process in place for Meetings
I had the pleasure of working with a Construction Company that identified that their biggest timewasters were in the form of meetings! I worked with their leadership team to streamline a process that everyone had input into, and therefore agreed to. Once this was implemented, there were huge gains in productivity, just around that one area.
Like anything in life, if we plan ahead, put in great processes, and practice using them, we will be rewarded.
If you want to get your team on board to ensure that meetings get run efficiently and less time is wasted in this space, download my resource. You can also use it if you are a classroom teacher that needs a lesson for Business Meetings. It has everything you need to implement some sound practices around running effective meetings.