How to make meetings matter

You've just received a new meeting invite notification. What is your reaction?

Meetings are essential for communicating with your team. The time spent together allows them to ask questions, contribute ideas, brainstorm, problem-solve, team-build and be on the same page.
However, some meetings are unnecessary or poorly managed, leaving attendees feeling that their time could have been better spent doing other work.

Ready to change that? First, let's identify the various meeting challenges and then explore how to improve them.

 10 meeting challenges

Meetings that should have been an email – If the staff gathered around the table are only providing updates, send an email instead. Your group will appreciate having the time back.

No clear purpose or agenda – If there isn't a clear purpose, cancel the meeting. People need to know why they are here and what needs to be accomplished.

Running over time – Do you need a two-hour meeting that could have been done in one hour? Long meetings drain morale and energy and disrupt schedules.

One or two people dominating – A few voices dominating an entire meeting (especially if it's the leader!) will cause others to disengage and dread the next meeting. If you don't have everyone participating, you will lose the room.

Disengaged participants – If participants are zoning out, multitasking or not contributing, you need to kickstart your meetings. Don't worry; I've got some great ideas below.

Lack of follow-through – We had a great discussion and shared some great ideas, but nothing changed. There needs to be action and accountability, or your team will get frustrated.

Meetings to the max – With too many meetings, too many people get stuck doing their regular work outside of regular business hours, so make sure the next meeting you book is essential.

Unnecessary attendees – When it comes to meetings, more isn't better. If people aren't contributing, they probably don't need to be there.

Technology issues – It’s frustrating to waste time troubleshooting mic or camera issues. If you are hosting a virtual meeting, take time to make sure there are no tech issues before you begin.

Low energy or boring format –Years ago, Patrick Lencioni wrote a best-selling book titled Death By Meeting. His advice: making meetings interactive and engaging. There should be a hook and a plot to grab the audience's attention.

Five ways to optimize a meeting

Now that you know the meetings that must be avoided, let's focus on making necessary meetings more efficient.

 Be ruthless with the agenda – If a meeting isn't necessary, cancel it. If it is, set a clear agenda and time limits.

Make it interactive – Use a poll or breakout session to get everyone participating right away. Even when working with a group of 12, I'll have people break into pairs and discuss a topic to get them engaged.

Stick to the clock – Start and end on time, and ensure everyone gets a chance to speak. Just because you've got the team together doesn't justify going into OT.

Clarify actions and owners – Wrap up with clear next steps and assigned responsibilities, and don't leave it to the last minute as people are closing their laptops and preparing to leave.

Try new formats – Experiment with stand-up meetings, walking meetings, or 15-minute huddles to keep things fresh, concentrate, and have valuable interactions.

 Your challenge this month

Take a look at your meeting calendar. Which meetings can be cut, shortened, or improved? Try one of the tips above and see the difference it makes.

Let's make meetings something people look forward to—yes, it's possible!