We all know meetings are a necessary evil
Have an agenda
Even if this is just you and your partner with 3 items of discussion. Why you may ask? Because this will keep you on track and in the worst case scenario, force you to cover what the meeting is meant to cover before going of on a tangent.
Don’t go off on a tangent… stick to the agenda.
Keep it short
Literally, the shorter the better. Get in-get out. Cover what you need to cover and no more. It may help to set a time limit of 5 – 10 minutes for a few small issues and 30 minutes for some major issues or many small points.
Smaller is better
Just bring in the people who are absolutely necessary for the meeting. If you are trying to improve your financials, there is no need for a floor manager to be in the meeting. Just you and the accounting department head… and maybe the person where the money is bleeding from.
On the other hand, if you are trying to improve the product itself, bring in the designers, the manufacturing head, the floor manager and anyone else who would have a logical say in creating/producing your product… and no more.
Take some notes
Unless you literally remember every detail of your life, take notes so that you don’t misconstrue what was said or recall it incorrectly.
Make sure to follow up
Everybody has other things to do, even if some of those things come directly from the boss, so follow up in a few days or a week to see how things are going.
Do you need a meeting?
Can this be taken care of over the phone or via email? Many things can be done this way. Keep the time consuming meetings for when the other alternatives will not work.
Walk with me.
The fictional TV show New Amsterdam is big on this one. The main character will be walking and another character will ask a question and the response is, “Walk with me.” The issue is resolved during this walk.
While this is a fictional show, if it is a small enough issue, which can be determined during the walk, it can be settled right then.
Be an “early” meeter
Studies have shown that meetings before noon are more useful and end with better results.
Bar the digital interruptions
Unless they are needed for the meeting, connections within the building are bad, keep them quiet/banned.
Do not eat during meetings
This is meeting time, not lunch. Don’t schedule meetings during meal time.
What are your thoughts on this post, do you have any meeting tips to share? Let us know below.
