It is impossible to run a successful business, come to sound decisions, or handle the day-to-day operations of any organisation without holding regular meetings.
The issue is that, while meetings can at times be very productive, they can also be a HUGE waste of time in which nothing tangible is accomplished...
You have probably already been to a meeting in which we dragged certain topics out unnecessarily long, where people did not arrive prepared, and where the discussion went in all different directions, haven't you?
What is the result? Everyone leaves feeling aggravated and with the impression that they've thrown away their time... We think to ourselves, "So in retrospect, I probably would have been better off skipping this meeting."
This article is going to pique your interest if you are someone who regularly or occasionally hosts meetings, or if you are someone who attends team meetings.
I'm going to talk to you about five fundamental ideas that are absolutely necessary to implement in your group if you want your meetings to be effective and not a waste of time, and I'm going to share them with you right now.
These five principles will enable you to obtain significantly more results and, more importantly, to make the most of the time you spend in meetings by avoiding unnecessary repetition and maximising productivity.
If you are the organiser of a "meeting" and you want to have an effective meeting, the first principle to put into practise is to include in the meetings ONLY the appropriate people who can make a real contribution to the discussion. This is the first principle to put into practise if you want to have an effective meeting.
All too frequently, we have a tendency to organise a meeting and invite all of the members of the team (or department), but without first considering whether or not their presence is truly necessary.
We tell ourselves that we want to invite everyone so that everyone is "on the same wavelength," but in reality, it only unnecessarily monopolises several people who could have done something much more productive during this time period. We tell ourselves that we want to invite everyone so that everyone is "on the same wavelength"
Before you can host productive meetings in which everyone participates actively in the conversation and nobody feels as though they are wasting their time, you need to determine whether or not the presence of each individual is absolutely necessary.
If you come to the conclusion that the presence of a particular person is not necessary, do not be afraid to let them go.
Nobody is going to grumble about losing one "meeting" during the course of their day...
In addition to this, make sure that you have included all of the important players who are able to make decisions. Having a meeting, coming to a decision, and then having to get that decision approved by someone who wasn't present at the meeting is one of the most frustrating things that can happen.