We spend a lot of time in meetings. That’s probably not news to you. You’re spending 3-5 hours a week in the meetings just like the rest of us. Of course, some of the meetings we’re sitting in could have been handled in an email or worked out in a series of text messages. Some meetings, on the other hand, are necessary.
Reducing the amount of time sitting in conference rooms or on video calls may be our ultimate goal, but it doesn’t start by nixing meetings. It starts by making them more effective.
The first step to improving the effectiveness of our meetings is to determine whether or not we should even meet. Before you schedule the room or send out the link for the video conference, determine whether this meeting is even necessary or if the material you want to cover could be dealt with in a different way. This article has some tips that might be helpful: Should We Meet?
What’s the purpose of this meeting? When the team gathers, what project or topic are you addressing? Be specific. Setting a meeting to brainstorm an effective pitch to a potential new client isn’t necessarily the same thing as coordinating the logistics of who is presenting what, transportation, and so on.
There will be time to figure all those aspects of your team’s pitch out. This particular meeting, however, is just focused on how you can differentiate yourself from other organizations that will be pitching this lead. You can coordinate the logistics of the project in future emails or meetings. Today is just brainstorming your message.
Be selective with your meeting invites. Not everyone needs to sit in on every meeting. Identify who is needed for this particular agenda and invite them. Everyone else can sit this one out. Let your team know this is your meeting strategy from the start.
Here’s a good script to put into practice: “I want to respect your time and so sometimes there will be meetings with only specific team members with responsibilities related to specific components of our project, and sometimes there will be full team meetings.”
How much time should your teammates plan on dedicating to this meeting? Set a realistic window and stick to it. If you allocated 60 minutes to this staff check-in, keep the team focused on the topics at hand and be prepared for a hard stop at the 60-minute mark.
If the conversation is productive and the team has the capacity to extend their time, go for it – within reason. Otherwise, schedule follow-up conversations if needed, and let those that need to move on to something else do so.
You’ve set your agenda, invited only the team members needed, and established an anticipated timeframe. Good. Make sure that timeframe includes a buffer.
How long will it take you to cover the specific topics on your agenda? Give yourself 15-20 minutes more on your timeline. Your goal is to be effective in your meeting, not to stifle creativity and collaboration. Make sure there’s added space for productive dialogue if needed.
If you called your meeting for 2pm, start your meeting at 2pm. Yes, your team can have space to catch up with one another. That can happen as individuals are arriving or after the meeting wraps (and those that need to jump out quickly can). Unless your agenda includes time for check-ins and catch-ups, stick to the meat of your meeting once you hit your start time.
As you approach the final 5 minutes of your scheduled time together, take a moment to summarize the key points discussed, as well as actionable next steps.
That might be as simple as, “We’ll reconvene to finish this conversation on Thursday at 10am.” It may also be the assurance that you’ll be sending out summary minutes of the meeting by end of business or to review the various tasks (and deadlines) each team member is taking on as a result of the conversation. Be clear about what those next steps are and when they’re due.
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