If\nnot properly steered, meetings can be notoriously unproductive and a big waste\nof time in office culture. We\u2019ve all been there; where one person speaks up and\nderails the meeting, or where people aren\u2019t quite sure why they\u2019re there and\nleave the meeting still unsure of what the meeting was about. So, how do you\navoid unnecessary and inefficiently run meetings? How do you ensure that all\nyour meetings are productive? Here are some tips to help you out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\nis important to figure out if the meeting is even necessary in the first place.\nSome things by their very nature, are not a good use of group time. If items\nare sensitive or require significant back and forth or clarification, then\nthese can be a great use of meeting time.[1]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n When\nscheduling a meeting keep in mind that it will take up people\u2019s time. It is a\ncommon misconception that if you schedule say, a one-hour meeting with four\npeople and this meeting ends up being unproductive then you have only lost one\nhour. This is in fact not the case because, four individual people lost an hour\nof work time which adds up to four hours of lost time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n With\nthis in mind, it is therefore much easier to decide who needs to be present for\nthe meeting to minimise time wasting and maximise productivity.[2]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Set\nexpectations with meeting attendees and have a clear objective for the meeting.\nIt is important to think about what the purpose of the meeting is. Is the\nmeeting a brainstorming session? Do you need to communicate specific\ninformation? Or do you want to make an important decision?[3]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n After\nestablishing the purpose of the meeting, ensure that you communicate this\nagenda to those who will take part in the meeting. This will ensure that even\nbefore the meeting begins everyone will know exactly why they\u2019re there and how\nthey should prepare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Setting ground rules is an integral part of ensuring successful meetings because they establish a safe and productive environment. Ground rules detail the code of conduct for a meeting and the team, explaining the behaviour that’s expected of all participants. Have rules to regulate when meetings begin and end, how participants should handle their responsibilities in the meeting and how they should treat each other e.g. being respectful of each other\u2019s opinions etc.[4]<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Even\nafter going through the process of setting out an agenda for the meeting, you\nstill have to actively manage the meeting to ensure that you stay on track. A\nlot of times people will unintentionally go on tangents and veer off topic. Try\nto steer the meeting back to the main agenda to avoid wasting time.[5]<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Actively\nmanaging a meeting also means that you are getting equal representation and\ninput from all the participants. If you notice that some participants are\nspeaking more than others and dominating the discussion, make a point of\ncalling out those who are more quiet and encourage them to share their input. If\na usually quiet person speaks, show your appreciation. Try to draw everyone in\nand not just let the usual suspects speak.[6]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n During\nthe meeting, agree on the next course of action and then document this. Take\nnote of the tasks assigned to specific people. After the meeting send out a\nbrief summary of the meeting and what was agreed upon. This will promote\naccountability and ensure that everyone is on the same page. Doing this also\nmakes the meeting time more actionable and productive. [7]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Meetings are an effective way to bounce ideas around and increase productivity in your organisation. They also help boost team spirit and encourage active participation. It is therefore important to ensure that you do your best to make them as efficient and productive as possible. Apply these simple tips and start having more effective group meetings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Check out: How to get your team out of a creative rut<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Mshimba Michelle [1]<\/a> https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/forbesleadershipforum\/2014\/02\/05\/seven-steps-to-running-the-most-effective-meeting-possible\/#364c656d7a61<\/a>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n [2]<\/a> https:\/\/hbr.org\/2015\/03\/how-to-know-if-there-are-too-many-people-in-your-meeting<\/a>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n [3]<\/a> https:\/\/www.thebalancecareers.com\/how-to-lead-a-team-meeting-2275935<\/a>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n [4]<\/a> https:\/\/hbr.org\/2016\/06\/8-ground-rules-for-great-meetings<\/a>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n [5]<\/a> https:\/\/www.skillsyouneed.com\/rhubarb\/keep-meetings-on-track.html<\/a>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n [6]<\/a> https:\/\/liberationist.org\/how-to-encourage-participation-in-meetings\/<\/a>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n [7]<\/a> https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/d41586-019-02295-z<\/a>\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If not properly steered, meetings can be notoriously unproductive and a big waste of time in office culture. We\u2019ve all been there; where one person speaks up and derails the meeting, or where people aren\u2019t quite sure why they\u2019re there and leave the meeting still unsure of what the meeting was about. So, how do you avoid unnecessary and inefficiently run meetings? How do you ensure that all your meetings are productive? Here are some tips to help you out. ENSURE THAT THE MEETING IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY It is important to figure out if the meeting is even necessary in\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4758,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[74],"tags":[84,72,86],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":5}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4756"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4756"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4756\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4759,"href":"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4756\/revisions\/4759"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4758"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4756"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4756"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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