We have all been in a place where we feel like meetings are just a waste of time.
While they play an important role in the success of a project or business, they can easily become a drain on resources when they are not achieving their purpose.
If you are a team leader, you need to have a plan on how to make your meetings work better for everyone involved and achieve the goals you’ve set.
Today, we’ll go through simple approaches you can use to ensure your meetings aren’t just time-fillers but real game-changers.
Create The Right Atmosphere
Before you even get to the agenda and objectives, ensure the meeting environment is right.
When planning, try to create an atmosphere that allows your team members to participate freely, collaborate effectively, and stay focused on the tasks at hand.
The starting place is the venue as it will also affect other aspects of the meeting, but there are many options for a meeting room hire London that can suit varied teams.
During the selection, consider the amount of space available as you need your team members to be seated comfortably.
The venue should also be well-lit and free from distractions such as elaborate art and noise. Ensure that you also pay close attention to the seating arrangement, as it’s key in boosting participation.
Have A Clear Agenda and Objectives
For your meeting to be productive and successful, you will need a clear roadmap that will guide everybody through the entire session.
So, during the planning phase, take the time to define a clear agenda and objectives of what you want to accomplish.
Basically, have the key topics or issues you want to discuss, then arrange them in order of priority or relevance.
For each of the issues you want to handle, allocate a sufficient amount of time that will allow for meaningful discussion and decision-making.
Before the meeting, you can communicate the agenda and pass along any supporting materials or pre-reads.
This way, everyone will come well-prepared for the meeting and be in a position to make meaningful contributions.
Ensure that you don’t veer off-track and end up taking more time than you should, as the meeting should also not be too long. If it is, attendees may become bored and less productive.
Utilize Technology Wisely
There are lots of tools and platforms you can use to enhance effectiveness and efficiency. Some of these are video conferencing tools, project management software, and digital whiteboards.
However, there are quite a number of options out there, and you need to ensure that you select the ones that work well for your team.
To do that, consider the scope and ease of use of every tool. You don’t want tools that are too complicated or offer lots of features that your team doesn’t even need, as these may become a distraction during the meeting.
However, ensure that the ones you choose offer several collaboration options and features that enhance team members’ participation and feedback.
Encourage Active Participation
Each team member has something they can contribute towards the goal, and you need to encourage them to participate.
Empower them to do so by demonstrating openness, enthusiasm, and receptiveness to ideas from all participants.
When a person is talking, all other team members should listen actively, avoid interrupting, and respect others’ opinions.
They should all understand these ground rules so that everyone can feel comfortable sharing their opinions.
Besides that, you can also encourage participation by incorporating a few techniques and activities.
Some examples are brainstorming sessions, icebreakers, and group discussions, all of which will help different members express their ideas.
Ensure that you also assign different roles and responsibilities so that everyone has a contribution they are required to make.
You can then have avenues such as polling tools where members can help make decisions.
Follow-Up with Clear Actions
The value you are looking for is not in the discussions but in the actions and outcomes of the meeting.
This means that you need to have a plan that can help translate the things discussed in the meeting into reality.
To do that, you can come up with clear actions and accountability measures. This can be done before or during the meeting, and its goal is to capture key decisions and action items, and then assign specific tasks based on the discussions.
Ensure that all members understand this and that you communicate what is expected of everyone after the meeting.
From there, take the time to review and reflect on the outcomes of the meeting to help make the next one even more effective.
