Meeting Management: Top Tips

Meetings have long been a vital part of conducting business and yet, we seem to struggle to derive some actual value out of it. Yep, this can be especially problematic when you spend an average of 18 hours per week in meetings. What makes matters worse is that meetings can also cost companies much money when executed without proper planning. Don’t believe it? A study found that just one meeting of mid-level managers every week can cost a company $15 million per year! As you can imagine, this is not a viable proposition for anyone — not the loss of time, money, and not productivity and efficiency. So, how does one go about tending to this problem that seems to plague most modern corporations worldwide? Well, there is a lot one can do to instantly boost the efficacy of meetings organized in their company and improve the overall management of meetings. For example, researchers have found that stand-up meetings offer the scope more effective than a conventional one where attendees are seated around a table. It is also imperative to focus on means to encourage better active listening. An excellent way to do that is to determine the perfect time for a meeting, i.e., when people have ample energy. One study found that 2:30 PM on Tuesdays works like magic. Here are some other ways to help you manage and run your meetings much more effectively. 1. Define objective: More often than not, the critical reason why meetings fail to bear any results is because of the lack of clarity about their aim. So, be sure to make it abundantly clear to the attendees if the meeting is to decide, share status updates, brainstorm for new ideas, etc. To cut a long story short, let everyone know the goal of the meeting and you can rest assured that it will be achieved. 2. Preparation is a must: Another crucial factor for ensuring success and effectiveness is preparation. To do that, experts recommend sharing the meeting’s agenda with all attendees before the session begins. Studies have shown that multitasking erodes effectiveness and causes stress and costs companies as much as $450 billion annually. Make specific topics to be discussed, time and location, a summary of objectives, some research (if necessary), etc. are all covered within the agenda. 3. Avoid multitasking: While most people are inclined to believe the ability to multitask is a boon, the truth is that it is detrimental to the achievement of actual productivity in a meeting. To prevent multitasking attendees, it is essential to pre-assign roles, encourage people to place their devices in a designated spot in the meeting room, and offer them a timed agenda. 4. Follow up: Before wrapping up a meeting, it is crucial to recap the conference, assign action items to attendees as required, etc. It is a good idea to add notes on a task management solution. Perhaps even a shared calendar would work for essential topics. rnFollow it up with proper follow-ups and see how things are shaping and whether they are on their initially intended path. Another important part of effective meeting management is meeting management application development so you can have a one-stop-shop for executing all your meetings without a fuss.