Unnecessary and poorly organized meetings are the most common causes of wasting time and strengthening frustration of employees. It is even worse when such meetings repeat regularly every week or even every day. Try to count how many meetings, interviews and other appointments you have attended during your career and in how many cases you have considered it only a waste of time. The resulting number could motivate you to become a better organizer of meetings at least yourself when the others around you cannot handle it. Get inspired by the following recommendations of the business server Inc.com.
Each meeting must have a leader and a purpose
A leader, a specific purpose, a start time, an end time and a clear reason why every individual is invited - these are essential conditions to a meaningful meeting. In addition to follow the meeting's agenda, the leaders must also record the resulting findings of the meeting and the specific steps that will follow.
Leaders must know the basics of managing discussions
They should know how to invoke a constructive discussion and keep it within its topic. They record any new issues that arise but don't relate directly to the present case for a next debate. They also know how to lead the discussing employees to a joint decision.
Meetings should be held in the afternoon
Let your people do their main work in the morning when most people reach the greatest performance. They are also better tuned for a meeting after lunch.
Meetings should not occupy most of the working days
If you have a calendar full of meetings which, moreover, occur every week, when you want to do your real job?
Meetings should not be held without preparation
Convening meetings based on sudden motives e.g. in the hallway is mostly not effective. In most of the cases, decisions are made without key people or only turbulent exchanges of views occur with no result.
Meetings should continuously improve
If you hold regular meetings, regularly ask the participants what measures they would propose for the meetings to be more effective.
-kk-