Meetings are a great help if done correctly; they are essential for sharing ideas, exchanging information, and collaborating in general. However, a fruitful meeting that truly adds value to the work environment or does not interrupt the workflow is rarely achieved.
Statistics indicate that, on average, 21% of working time is spent in meetings. But are all of them really necessary? At least a quarter Time spent in meetings is a complete waste of time, according to studies.When a meeting is planned and managed correctly, it strengthens the team to work more efficiently and with a clear objective during the current phase. That is why we will show you how to do it. effective meeting.
When do you need to organise a meeting?
As we have explained before, ineffective meetings are the order of the day, meetings that can be easily replaced by emails or simply a survey on the virtual portal. So what are the reasons to hold a meeting?
1. The objective is concise.
Every good meeting has a specific objective. What do you want to achieve? Do you want to solve a problem? Plan schedules or do a brainstorming session? Analyse problems and solutions? Prioritise having a manageable goal when preparing the meeting. A meeting without a clear objective is doomed to fail and does more harm than good in the long run. If your meeting has a clear goal, you are one step closer to organising a successful meeting.
2. Plan your agenda.
The objective of your meeting, although crucial, is not all you need for it to meet your and your employees' needs. Now let's look at what follows: Inform the team about the meeting. One of the most common mistakes when rushing into a meeting is simply scheduling a date and time, then struggling to fill that gap. Instead, our recommendation is to plan the agenda before announcing anything and then schedule the duration to adjust the time accordingly. If you have your agenda ready, you are only one step towards having a well-structured meeting.
3. You invite the target audience.
What is worse than attending a meeting that brings you nothing and is about something that doesn't concern you at all? Very few things. This is another reason why meetings are more of a burden than a relief; once the objective has been set, and a well-structured agenda established, you need to understand clearly who you need to invite. If you know perfectly who should be present, you will have a solid picture of all the other basic issues. The reservation of that time will be more than justified.
When not to call a meeting?
1. You are only going to inform
Are you only going to provide an update on the code of conduct, the current status or that you have finally added that coffee machine in the office? Do you have a small update on a project that won't spark any debate? That's what emails or messaging apps are for. It's quicker than gathering everyone, you don't take up their productive time, and they also have the information at hand in case they want to review it later. There are exceptions to this rule, like an annual summary or the end of a large project. But aside from these two examples, it's better to leave the transmission of information for another medium.
2. You are going to organise it without any clear reason
It may seem obvious when reading it, but believe me, it happens more often than we would like to admit. Especially in regular scheduled meetings, this regularity can easily turn into glorified updates, instead of their main function, productive conversations. That is why scheduled meetings need to be reviewed and reevaluated according to this rule to ensure they are as productive as possible.
3. You haven't prepared it correctly.
Do you have a summary of what you want to discuss? The necessary materials such as slides, graphics or text excerpts? Do you have a well-structured agenda and a slot in the calendar for the meeting? If not, it's too early to kick off the meeting; make sure to have everything prepared before starting the meeting. It may take longer, but all this time is an investment for a more productive future.
How to conduct a smooth meeting
We have the objective, an agenda, and the assigned people; now what do we do to ensure fluency? Here are some tips.
1. Add it to your agenda.
We don't want to repeat ourselves, but we assume you are already aware of the importance of having an agenda to ensure that the team meeting is as precise as possible; however, statistics tell us that in the United States, the 63% of the meetings lack a clear objective or an agenda that is pre-scheduled (Source: ECSHome).
Of all the statistics we aspire to enter, this is not one of the desirable ones. Creating an agenda is super simple (and the time spent is worth it). Essentially, it is a list that enumerates the following:
The date and time of the meeting.
The objective of the meeting
The departments or people who will attend.
The topics that will be addressed.
Who will lead the debate on each issue?
Cuanto tiempo se dedicará a cada asuntoY la verdad es que poco más necesitas, Tener esto por escrito y comunicarlo de antemano aportará a la reunión una estructuración muy necesaria y nos ahorrará mucho tiempo y dolores de cabeza.
2. Provide the participants with supporting documents.
It is not worth wasting time in the meeting once the structure is solid, but unexpected events occur, especially at the beginning when you introduce the objectives and bring the attendees up to date.
To avoid this or to minimise disruptions, send the agenda and other supporting documents (such as summaries, schedules, reports, graphs, etc.) to the attendees at least one or two working days before the meeting.In this way, everyone has time to review and understand the basic idea of the meeting instead of blindly venturing in with fruitful questions and suggestions.
3. Don't leave things to chance.
Have you thought about the things that could complicate the meeting? Among all the discussion, there are topics that go off on a tangent and have nothing to do with the initial objective of the meeting. Do you really have to debate the client's suit colour right now?
Close the options before everyone on the team goes off on a tangent. Instead of participating in the conversation, tell your team you will take notes on the topic so you can revisit the issue later (but do take them for real!).This is commonly referred to as the 'parking method', as you 'park' the topic for a while while you continue to 'drive' the agenda.
4. Establishes rules
For a meeting to be effective, everyone must be attentive and proactive in the topics discussed, which is impossible if someone is eating, answering emails or browsing the web.
Unless the devices are necessary for the debate or for activities you have suggested, ask them to place them on their desks. This way, full attention can be ensured on what truly matters right now: The Meeting.
5. Control the clock.
As is obvious, starting and finishing the meeting on time is a priority. This not only shows respect for everyone’s schedules but also means you will make the most of the minutes you have available. Look at it this way; if you start a half-hour meeting five minutes late, you will have already lost 17% of the time dedicated to it, which may not seem like much, but in reality, it is a significant amount of time wasted.
However, apart from the start and finishing times, it is easy to lose track of time when the conversation gets really going. It is undeniable that having time slots assigned in the agenda is useful, but what you really need to do is keep an eye on the clock and stick to the planned itinerary.If you don't believe you can do it while leading the meeting, designate someone to time it and kindly alert you as you approach the end of the allotted time slot.
6. Summarise and share.
The agenda is important, but so is the summary of the meeting. Once the conversation is finished, recap the key points in a document or email and send them to all the attendees of the meeting (and anyone else who needs to be informed). A meeting summary might look something like this:
A few brief notes on the topics discussed.
The actions and to whom they have been assigned (with due dates if necessary)
All the 'parked' issues that need to be addressed in the future.Putting all this in writing ensures that everyone is clear on the steps to follow, and that there is no doubt about what you have discussed and agreed to do. Additionally, this summary provides you with a record that you can refer to in the next meeting to ensure that nothing slips off the radar.
Conclusion:
Meetings are a crucial tool in the workplace, as they allow for the sharing of ideas, exchanging of information, and collaboration. However, many times they do not serve their purpose and become a waste of time, interrupting the workflow. According to statistics, on average, 21% of working time is spent in meetings, and a quarter of that time is completely unnecessary.
For a meeting to be effective, it is essential to plan it properly, setting a clear objective, a well-structured agenda, and inviting only relevant participants. Furthermore, avoiding purely informative meetings, those that are organised without a clear purpose or adequate preparation, is key to not wasting time.To ensure smoothness, it is essential to follow the agenda, share supporting documents in advance, maintain focus on the main topics, and respect the allocated times. In the end, a good summary of the meeting, with clear and assigned actions, ensures that everyone is aligned and avoids missing important details.