Master Your Meetings
None of us have extra time to sit through a meeting that wanders aimlessly without any clear direction. Yet, we’ve all participated in, and even been in charge of, meetings that turned out to be a complete waste of time. On the flip side, we’ve all participated in meetings that were well-directed, efficient, and clearly spelled out what was next and the part each team member played in it. As a leader, you can't afford to have any meetings be anything but efficient! You need to be a meeting master.
What are the secrets to running efficient meetings?
Before the meeting, be clear about what you want those in the meeting to get from the time you spend together. Without this framework, you can be left with a room full of people scratching their heads. Create and distribute an agenda to all meeting participants one day prior to the meeting. An agenda will keep you on track and provide a written plan of what needs to be covered during the meeting time. In addition, your agenda will provide participants with the opportunity to review the intended topic and arrive at the meeting prepared to contribute to the discussion.
During the meeting, Don't allow any person to “take over the meeting”. When someone begins speaking about a topic that is not relevant to the meeting’s agenda, take the meeting back to the specified agenda by saying, “I hear what you are saying, and it is not something that we can address inside of the time we have right now. After the meeting, please see me so we can schedule a time to address your comments.”
After the meeting, make sure that your team is clear about what has been communicated and any expectations. If assignments have been given, confirm with each person what their assignment is and their commitment to by-when it will be complete. Without such accountabilities put into place, the time spent in a meeting is wasted time and none of us has any time to waste!