Five Rules for Effective Meetings
Meetings are important in all areas of life. Whether it’s a manager leading a product review, a coach calling a timeout just before halftime, or a parent summoning the family together to discuss some house rules, meetings provide us an opportunity to clearly communicate our expectations and instructions to our colleagues, players, and family.
Although we all have meetings of various kinds throughout each day, oftentimes we aren’t maximizing their effectiveness. Here are five, simple rules to follow in order to have more effective meetings.
Always start on time. Punctuality sends a message in any job, field, or culture. Starting at the predetermined time tells your employees that efficiency is part of your company’s DNA. Always shoot to start on time and rarely show leniency to those who show up late - this is an easy way to get the right people on the bus and the wrong people off of it.
Have a clear agenda. No employee should ever wander into a meeting thinking, “I wonder what this meeting is going to be about.” Set a simple, clear agenda that serves as the guide for the meeting. Communicate to your employees what is going to be discussed.
Leader conducts the meeting. Nothing derails a meeting quicker than several ambiguous voices with no clear leader. Although several people will likely be asked to chime in, the leader always needs to drive the meeting. Let the leader do what they are paid to do: lead.
Know the desired outcome. It’s important to understand what you want to get out of each meeting. Is it to have a clearer picture of the process flow? Is it to review and finalize expense reports? Is it to create a more efficient onboarding process? Know beforehand what you want and ensure that goal is met by meeting’s end.
Always finish on time. As a manager or executive, you must respect the fact that your employees' time is just as valuable as yours. They have other meetings to attend and supplementary tasks to work on after this meeting has concluded. If the meeting is on the calendar for an hour, try your best to keep it there.
We all know meetings are important. But how we run meetings holds equivalent value. Punctuality, clear communication, leadership, and proper expectations are just a few rules to keep in mind when scheduling your upcoming meetings.
And, the better and more effective your meetings are, the less frequent you need to have them. And we can all agree that fewer meetings without sacrificing productivity is a win for everybody.