9 Tips to Make your Meetings More Effective

I remember the first time I saw that meme about having another meeting that could have been an email.

There are many variations out there, but I’m sure you know the one I’m talking about. I had never felt so seen.

And I’m confident you’ve been there too.

We have all been in a meeting that could have been an email. Or a meeting that took way too long. Or a meeting where you left more confused then when you arrived. Or a meeting that someone scheduled at 4:00pm on a Friday. You get the idea.

Yep…we’ve all been there.

Now to be clear, I am not against meetings. I don’t even consider them a “necessary evil”. They are necessary at times. I mean you know how I feel about my beloved one on one meetings.

So, while I do believe there is a time and place for meetings, from what I’ve experienced, they aren’t aways executed in the right way and the person calling the meeting isn’t always getting the best bang for their buck. This is also an area that new managers are given very little, if any, guidance on. 

Whether it’s a lack of communication, planning and structure, or the intent behind the meeting, there are many ways a meeting can go wrong. And a meeting gone awry can not only be a complete waste of everyone’s time, but it can also create confusion and be a total productivity killer.

So how do we run a meeting that actually gets something accomplished? How do we run a meeting that’s effective and efficient?

Keep ready for my tips below!

One

Be Clear On Why You’re Having The Meeting

Knowing why you’re having the meeting and specifically what outcome you are looking for is important to make sure your meeting is relevant and a good use of everyone’s time. Make sure you are clear with yourself before you hit send on the meeting invite.

Ask yourself “why am I scheduling this meeting?” and “what’s the outcome if I don’t?” Heck, straight up ask yourself if what you are trying to get accomplished can be done in an email.

Two

Make Sure The Right People Are In The Room (and the wrong ones aren’t)

Have you ever been assigned a task or asked to weigh in on something from a meeting you weren’t invited to (and should have been)? Or been 45 minutes into a meeting when you realize none of what’s being covered pertains to you? Yeah, me too. Make sure any stake holders are included in meetings where decisions are going to be made. This can help speed up the decision-making process and make your meetings way more efficient and productive.

On the flip side, if it’s not absolutely necessary for someone to attend but you’d like to have them there anyway (basically they’re not a need to have, but a nice to have), send them the invite as an “attendance optional” guest. This not only shows a respect for their time, but gives them the option to decide if the meeting fits into their schedule or not.

Three

Communication Is Key!

You know I was not going to provide you with a how-to list and not include communication on it somewhere! I’ll be honest, sending out a formal agenda is just not my style, but if that’s something you like to do, this would be the step to draft and send out an agenda.

Obviously, you want to ensure your team has all the basic details like time, date, and location. If it’s an online meeting, make sure the correct link to the meeting space is added to the invite (if I had a nickel for every time I forgot to include the link…). But you also want to make sure they are prepared and know what to expect, what to bring, or if they need to be prepared to speak on a specific topic.

Is this a brainstorming session and they need to bring their ideas with them? Is this a problem-solving type meeting and they need to be prepared to speak to their current frustrations/roadblocks and provide solutions? Do they need to provide the latest metrics or a status update? What ever the case, make sure you are setting your team up for success!

If you read this post you know how I’m not good at being put on the spot and how much I hate being unprepared for meetings.

Four

Keep It Short And Sweet

Try to keep your meetings to 30 minutes max to get the most from your team in terms of engagement. If you know you are the more long-winded type (be honest with yourself…), assign someone in the room as your own personal time wrangler. Have fun with it and give them permission to tell you to “zip it!” or “okay, we’ve heard just about enough from you today” at the 30-minute mark. You can even take it up a notch and buy a buzzer. When your time is up, someone gets to buzz you!

Five

Timing Is Everything

Be mindful of when you schedule your meeting. Nobody likes a meeting first thing Monday morning or last thing Friday afternoon and try to avoid scheduling meetings that could easily run into your team’s lunch break. I promise you, if your team gets hangry because you’re meeting went into their lunch break, they are not listening or retaining much of what you say.

Six

Read The Room

Feel like you’re starting to lose your listeners? If so, check in to see if you’ve lost them along the way or open the room for questions (or you could always tell a joke to see if everyone’s still listening 😊)

Meetings are usually more effective when they are interactive and there’s conversation happening, so be sure to include your team in the discussion when you can and encourage healthy conversation as long as it’s not disruptive to the meeting.

Seven

Create A “Parking Lot”

If your meeting triggers ideas or questions that are worth discussing but ultimately won’t contribute to the goals and outcome of your current meeting (happens almost every meeting), you simply “park” the ideas for another day or meeting (or email?). This will keep your meeting from going off topic but will make sure you don’t forget any important ideas or other discussions topics that get mentioned. If you have a white board or flip chart near by you can just record the ideas on there, or you could…..

Eight

Assign A Note Taker

Having a designated note taker can be helpful to record any parking lot ideas, but also to record any action items and any other relevant information that should be recorded.

This will ensure nothing is missed, but also allows you to stay more present in the meeting and any conversations that are happening.

Nine

End On A Clear Note

Wrap it up with clearly identifying any action items or providing a quick summary of what was discussed. Everyone should walk out knowing what they need to do—and when. It’s almost always a good idea to send out a follow up email after the meeting that clearly outlines expectations, action items, and any key dates.

Bonus Tip

My favourite tip for effective meetings…implement “No Meeting Days”. Have one or more a week where meetings are off limits! This will not only ensure you are not mindlessly scheduling meetings, but it will also give more credibility to the ones you do schedule.

So there you have it! Tips and trips to make sure your next meeting doesn’t feel like a place where productivity goes to die a slow, slow death.

Happy Leading!

Emily