I worked for a company once which had roughly 6-7 operational businesses. x3 of these businesses represented the bigger side of the company as a whole and operated under essentially the same trade & service offering but in x3 different regions of the North Island of New Zealand. They were of varying sizes (330, 140, 65 employees respectively) and the smallest of these operational teams had the best Regional Operations Manager when compared to her counterparts in the other 2 regions. Whilst she was visiting us in Auckland, at our Head Office, for almost a full week, she said to me partway through the week, “Boy, you guys love to have a meeting up here!”
We started talking about the pros & cons of having meetings, and what works well and what doesn’t – we even discussed who actually knows how to conduct a proper corporate meeting within the company (which sadly, wasn’t too many people within the company at the time). But as we spoke about the various aspects of corporate meetings, one overriding question lingered – are meetings actually important? And I think the short answer to this is, “Yeah, they are!” But the usefulness of meetings is highly dependent on how the meetings are conducted.
When Meetings Work Well
When meetings are working well, they can be powerful communication tools. But when they’re not working well, they can end up being a huge waste of time & resource!
To make team meetings productive they ought to:
- Have a specific purpose for meeting.
- Have the right people in the room (but maybe not all the people).
- (For the sake of efficiency), aim to manage by exception.
- Be clear with action points or next steps and the accountabilities for these actions.
A meeting’s purpose can be to update or share information, or it could be to make a decision. You might meet with certain staff to resolve an issue or problem, or you could be celebrating success. But whenever you meet, letting people know what the meeting is about beforehand is hugely important. It’s also useful to specify whether there is any preparation required on the part of attendees well in advance of the meeting. Letting attendees know what to expect and letting them know if there is any preparation required on their part will ensure that everyone arrives ready and focused for the meeting.
Meeting attendees should be driven by the purpose of the meeting. If you’re sharing information, ensure that people who need that information are invited. If you’re making a decision, have all the decision makers and people providing input for the decision in the room. Sometimes, people have a tendency or a bias to invite everyone they can think of. But being thoughtful about who you invite and stating clearly the meeting purpose ought to dictate who needs to be in attendance.
Managing by exception means only covering topics during your meetings that are exceptions and are not part of the ordinary, well-running operations. If you have 7 different work streams and 4 of them are (more or less) perfectly on track, then you should only look to discuss the three projects that are off track or better, just the specific issues that you’re currently having to deal with. Doing this saves a whole lot of time and focuses your efforts on the most important issues. I worked on Senior Management Team where full-day or even multiple-day meetings were planned – so (potentially), 8hr to 24hrs worth of back-to-back meetings. And the reason for this was that we went through every single item for every single project and every single deliverable that everybody was working on – even though most of them were on track. If we moved to a ‘manage-by-exception’ kind of meeting instead, then we probably could have turned days of meetings into a couple of hours of meetings (and then simply added a series of targeted email/memo communications).
Defining accountabilities and the next steps, particularly by the time you’re coming out of the meeting is also important. Make sure everyone has an open task list and that the owners are clearly identified against any fixed tasks. Also, be sure to set agreed-upon timelines for the resolution of those open issues. Be sure to document these accountabilities in your meeting minutes and send them out to all attendees in a follow-up email to the team. Also, at least if it’s applicable, be sure to add these items to any relevant project plans and review these action items at the next meeting.
Team Communication, Collaboration & Innovation
It may go without saying that meetings play a crucial role in effective communication as they provide a platform for exchanging ideas, discussing important issues, and making decisions. Effective communication in meetings is essential as it ensures that everyone understands the team’s objectives, agenda, and outcomes of the meeting. Effective communication in meetings helps to ensure that participants are engaged, focused, and on the same page. This helps to avoid misunderstandings, conflict, and confusion. Good communication also helps to build trust, respect, and positive relationships between meeting participants and team members.
To promote effective communication in meetings, it is important to have clear objectives, a well-defined agenda, and effective communication tools such as clear and concise language, active listening, and appropriate body language. It is also important to ensure that all participants have an opportunity to share their ideas and perspectives and that there is open and respectful dialogue.
Meetings can also play a key role in driving collaboration and innovation within a team or company. Meetings can be an effective way to generate new ideas and solutions to problems. Brainstorming sessions allow team members to bounce ideas off each other and build on each other’s ideas, leading to new and innovative solutions. Business meetings can bring together team members from different departments or functional areas to work on a common goal or project. And this cross-functional collaboration can help to break down silos and facilitate better communication and coordination across the organization. If a group is mature enough for this, meetings can also provide a forum for team members to give and receive feedback on their work. This feedback can help to improve the quality of work and drive innovation by encouraging team members to think more critically and creatively.
Meetings can drive collaboration and innovation by bringing together team members to share ideas, provide feedback, and work together towards a common goal. By fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation through meetings, teams and organizations can stay competitive and adapt to changing circumstances.
The Impact Of Poorly Conducted Meetings
Poorly conducted meetings can have several negative impacts on individuals, teams, and organizations as a whole. Perhaps one of the more obvious results of poorly conducted meetings is the waste of time and resources. If meetings are not properly organized or managed, they can become a significant waste of time and resources. I mean, at the risk of sounding like a penny pincher – think of how much an hour of time cost the business for the last meeting you had. And if you have as many meetings as I can have in a single month, think of the labour cost alone for a month’s worth of meetings. Then when you add the other considerations, for example when employees are forced to attend meetings that have no clear agenda or purpose, or where decisions are not made, it can lead to frustration, low morale, and reduced productivity along with the huge financial costs.
When meetings are not well-organized and focused, attendees almost automatically lose sight of the objectives, which can then result in a general lack of direction and massive confusion. This can in turn lead to delays in decision-making as well as delays in project implementation, which can negatively impact project timelines and the overall success of the organization. Poorly conducted meetings can also lead to miscommunication and misunderstandings. For example, if business information is not effectively shared, attendees will naturally lack a clear understanding of what needs to be done, or how they can contribute to the success of various projects. Misunderstandings can often arise from a lack of clarity around action items or follow-up tasks.
When poorly conducted meetings are normal or are the regular pattern for your team or business it can seriously damage team dynamics. If attendees feel that their time is being wasted, or that their input is not being valued, it can lead to feelings of annoyance and resentment and disengagement. Unfortunately, I’ve seen first-hand how this can have negative impacts on team morale and collaboration, which can, in turn, extensively affect the quality of work and the overall success and effectiveness of a team or business.
Poorly conducted meetings can have a range of negative impacts on individuals, teams, and organizations. It is essential to ensure that meetings are well-organized, focused, and effective to maximize the benefits of collaboration, innovation, and communication.
Some Keys To Having Productive & Efficient Meetings
Firstly, some tips for those leading the meeting…
Be punctual: Start the meeting on time and avoid waiting for latecomers. This will help to demonstrate the importance of the meeting and ensure that everyone is focused and engaged from the beginning.
Manage the time: Set a time limit for the meeting and stick to it. If the meeting is likely to take longer, schedule a break or consider breaking it up into shorter sessions.
Encourage participation: Encourage everyone to participate and share their ideas. This will help to generate new ideas and promote collaboration.
Avoid distractions: Avoid distractions like mobile phones or laptops, unless they are necessary for the meeting. This will help to keep everyone focused and engaged.
Take notes: Assign someone to take notes and document any action items or decisions made during the meeting. This will help to ensure that everyone is clear on what needs to be done and who is responsible.
Follow up: Send a follow-up email after the meeting to summarize the discussion, action items, and decisions made. This will help to keep everyone accountable and ensure that nothing falls through the cracks.
- Firstly, as noted above, establish a clear purpose: Make sure there is a clear objective for the meeting and that everyone knows what it is. This will help to keep the discussion focused and avoid wasting time on irrelevant topics.
- Also, set an agenda: Create an agenda for the meeting and share it with all participants in advance. This will help attendees to prepare and understand what is expected of them.
- As was noted above as well, invite the right people: Invite only the people who need to be there. This will help to keep the meeting focused and avoid wasting the time of people who don’t need to be involved.
- Along with this, be punctual: Start the meeting on time and avoid waiting for latecomers. This will help to demonstrate the importance of the meeting and ensure that everyone is focused and engaged from the beginning.
- Manage the time: Set a time limit for the meeting and stick to it. If the meeting is likely to take longer, schedule a break or consider breaking it up into shorter sessions.
- Encourage participation: Encourage everyone to participate and share their ideas. This will help to generate new ideas and promote collaboration.
- Avoid distractions: Avoid distractions like mobile phones or laptops, unless they are necessary for the meeting. This will help to keep everyone focused and engaged.
- Take thorough notes: Assign someone to take notes, even minutes for your more formal meetings, and document any action items or decisions made during the meeting. This will help to ensure that everyone is clear on what needs to be done and who is responsible.
- Lastly, follow-up: Send a follow-up email after the meeting to summarize the discussion, action items, and decisions made. This will help to keep everyone accountable and ensure that nothing falls through the cracks.
Some tips for meeting participants…
- Come prepared: Make sure you review the agenda and any materials provided prior to the meeting. If there are any topics or questions you would like to address, prepare them beforehand.
- Actively listen: When someone is speaking, make sure you listen attentively and give them your full attention. Avoid interrupting or talking over others, and ask clarifying questions if needed.
- Stay engaged: Stay focused and present during the meeting. Avoid multitasking or being distracted by emails, messages, or other tasks.
- Provide constructive input: Share your thoughts and opinions in a constructive manner. Be respectful of others’ ideas and provide constructive feedback.
- Be mindful of time: Respect the time allocated for the meeting and make sure your contributions are relevant and necessary. Avoid going off-topic or discussing issues that are not on the agenda.
- Follow up on your action items: If you are assigned action items or tasks during the meeting, make sure you follow up on them and complete them in a timely manner.
Effective meetings play a vital role in team and company communication, driving collaboration and innovation, and boosting productivity and efficiency. When meetings work well, they are powerful communication tools that facilitate effective decision-making, build stronger relationships, and promote a shared sense of purpose among team members. However, when meetings are poorly conducted, they can lead to a range of negative outcomes, such as reduced engagement, wasted time, and lost opportunities.
To make meetings more productive and efficient, it is important to establish a clear purpose, invite the right people, manage by exception, and define action points or next steps. When attending meetings, it is crucial to prepare beforehand, stay engaged and attentive, provide constructive feedback, and follow through on any action items. By adopting these best practices, teams can transform meetings into dynamic and collaborative forums that enhance communication, innovation, and overall business success.