8 Simple Tips To Running Productive Meetings

How many meetings do you run a day?

What might be a better question is how many of these meetings do you find productive? Throughout your career, you’ve probably attended a ridiculous amount of meetings. Some worthy of your time and others asking what you did to deserve this.

You’ve probably said to yourself countless times, I won’t make the same mistake when I run a meeting. If you want to make sure you don’t, then follow these steps to run one that is tight and productive.

1. Set a Clear Agenda Ahead of Time

The purpose of a meeting is to be productive. A good start is to send a clear agenda before the session so everyone can come prepared. The best practice is 48 hours. Don’t leave it 48 seconds before you enter the room, or you might end up on your own because no one else saw the point of attending.

2. Assign a Meeting Leader

Just because you sent the invite doesn’t mean you need to run it necessarily. You can nominate someone else to manage the meeting to help with their career progression. You will be able to provide feedback on what to work on and how well they did. It also allows you to keep the room on track and focus on the purpose of the session. The leader can step in as need be.

3. Go Device Free

The most productive meetings ban mobiles and laptops. Tell your participants to leave their laptops at their desks so they can provide their undivided attention to the task at hand.

4. Use Specific Times

Most meetings are held on the hour or half-hour. So why not try mixing it up and treat it like a timetable. Why not schedule the session to commence from 4:13 to 4:43. It might even help those participants that are always running late.

5. Use Emails for Updates

Meetings shouldn’t be used for updates. There are plenty of other communication methods to use instead. Meetings should be used for decision making and when people reach a fork in the road and need some direction. Make sure you’re scheduling a session for the right reason and keep everything else to other communication channels.

6. Get Outside

Meetings outside the office can help get you away from the noise. You’ll be amazed at how productive you can be when you’re out in the open. Try a walking meeting or schedule a catch up at a coffee shop. It can reduce the number of distractions for you and the participants.

7. Keep it Short

Create a rule on how long the meeting should run. For example, anything over half an hour is a workshop. There is a reason there’s a saying that a good meeting is a short meeting.

8. Dedicate Time for a Recap

Ensure you leave time at the end of a meeting to recap actions and directions. If you don’t have any of these, then reconsider why you had a meeting in the first place. Remember, the purpose is to help provide direction to move forward. If the meeting didn’t do that, then don’t schedule another one.

Need Help Beyond Meetings?

Some leaders treat meetings as a way to show how busy they are. This is wrong. Meetings should help provide you with direction and help keep people on track. If you’re the one booking a lot of the meetings, make sure they’re productive and not a waste of anyone’s time.

If you need help leading your team, then make sure to follow the Better Boss Blog. You’ll find tips, tricks, and advice on how to improve your managerial skills. Follow pwf services on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook, so you never miss a post.