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How To Save Time...Make Meetings More Productive
Although most people feel that they're working harder and longer hours, millions of those hours are wasted in meetings. When employees complain about "poor communications", they also indicate that "the solution is not to hold more ineffective meetings!" What can you do to make meetings more productive and recover some of this frustrating, wasted time?
- Make certain meetings have a purpose and agenda. Valid reasons for meeting include:
- to make a decision
- to solve a problem
- to agree on a course of action
- to define a plan and responsibilities for implementation
Information sharing should not be a reason for getting together if it can be done by memo, Email or other correspondence.
- Insist that people come prepared. Publish agendas in advance so participants can do their homework, prepare supporting materials or comment on proposals before the meeting.
- Stick to the subject. A lot of time is wasted when meetings get off track. Restate the reason for getting together and ask "Is this discussion helping us achieve our purpose?" If not, suggest another time when the topic can be addressed.
- Start and end on time. Encourage participants to arrive and start on schedule. Reward them by ending the session when promised. Don't let an overrun in one meeting cause late start of others.
- Summarize next actions and responsibilities. Get agreement on who will do what, by when to avoid meetings that are "simulated action".
- Seek and use feedback. At the meeting's end, ask participants to evaluate meeting effectiveness and ask what could be done to improve it.
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