Effective meetings are crucial for business success. Meetings help leaders connect with their team members, share new prospects, discuss ideas, collaborate and solve problems together. Meetings also help managers provide feedback, demonstrate their expertise, gather employee input, increase accountability and task completion rates, and better manage essential projects and deadlines.
It’s important that your meetings are productive and engaging to ensure that they are not a waste of time. However, not all leaders are aware of how to lead effective meetings. This guide will help you do just that.
1. Determine Your Objectives
Before you begin to plan your meeting, first determine your objectives. What do you want to accomplish from this meeting? Is it primarily for clarification, or do you want to plan your next set of initiatives? Some meetings are for increasing productivity and increasing sales, while other meetings are for presenting complex information to decision-makers.
Your goals will help determine the tone and content of your meeting.
You first need to ask:
- What is the purpose of the meeting?
- What are the underlying objectives of the meeting?
- What are the likely outcomes of the meeting?
- How is the meeting designed to serve these objectives?
- Which team members need to be present at the meeting?
Some common meeting objectives include:
- Introducing new processes
- Clarifying company vision and direction
- Refining current ideas, strategies or campaigns
- Training staff to use particular systems and tools
- Creating a sense of urgency and commitment
- Guiding employees towards a shared goal
- Helping team members see things from a different perspective
Ensure participants know the purpose of the meeting. Having clear objectives set out before the meeting begins helps to build consensus among involved group members on where they want to go and how they can get there. The best way to do this is to provide a brief outline of the goals for the meeting, giving the attendees sufficient time to think about any questions that may be relevant.
2. Develop a Meeting Agenda
One of the biggest obstacles to effective meetings is a lack of planning, preparation and structure. You can’t make meetings go the way you want them to if you don’t know what’s going on. And, you don’t want to wait for everyone to show up only to leave after a 30-second update. Put together a specific and clear agenda so you can have an idea of what needs to be discussed and the steps you need to take.
You should make sure your agenda items are prioritised and the order of their presentation is followed. It should be clear, concise and easy to follow. This will help ensure that everyone knows what’s on the agenda and will make sure that there are no surprises and less chances for distraction.
A well-set agenda includes:
- the main topics that will be discussed;
- the dates and times for meetings;
- the order of items to be discussed;
- the ideal amount of time needed to cover the agenda items; and
- any additional information that needs to be provided to participants.
A clear agenda and solid structure will help your meetings run smoothly. It will help you focus on your key objectives and avoid unproductive discussions. Use an agenda with clear milestones, deliverables and desired outcomes to keep your team focused.
3. Provide Direction and Encourage Participation
A successful meeting is a two-way street. It’s a two-way conversation where participants can give and receive feedback. Effective leaders provide direction and encourage the participation of their attendees throughout the entire process.
Make your team members feel included every step of the way. Make sure they understand that their contributions will be valued.
As the meeting begins, ask attendees what they want to get out of the meeting. Also ask them what they’re hoping to learn.
As the meeting progresses, narrow down the scope by asking what the main objectives of the meeting are and how they can be achieved. Provide a few minutes to give everyone a chance to contribute their opinions and ideas. Ask them to take a moment to explain their concerns and questions to the group before asking them to comment on the issues that have been raised. Listen to the answers and respond accordingly.
To encourage further participation, you can even select one or two people to take on the role of facilitator and alternate at certain intervals during the meeting,
4. Overcome Meeting Roadblocks
At its most basic level, a meeting should allow you to keep things moving so that your team is focused on doing more important work. To help you get started, think about any obstacles that could stand in your way of running a productive meeting.
Are you experiencing communication issues? Are your co-workers’ schedules often out of sync? Are they not in the office or on call when you need them to be? If the answer is yes, that might mean that you need to start a dialogue to address the root of the problem. Perhaps it’s time to think about where and how your meeting should be held.
Many of the challenges that leaders encounter are internal. These are usually because their team members don’t want to meet. They may be too busy to attend. They may have little to contribute to the meeting or they may be confused about the purpose of the meeting. They may even think that the meeting has nothing to do with them.
Another common obstacle to tackle relates to the technical aspects of meeting delivery, especially during work-from-home arrangements. Consider if you have an issue with your computer’s connectivity, audio or video. Run tests prior to your meetings to reduce your chances of encountering technical difficulties during important team check-ins.
Confronting such obstacles is important because the desired outcomes you seek for your business will be less attainable unless the necessary barriers are addressed.
5. End on a Strong Note
The golden rule to successful meetings is to make sure you wrap up on time. Creating a strong note that includes specific actions to be taken and closing remarks is an important step.
When delivering your closing statement, mention at least three things that you think the team needs to know, and don’t make the summary too long. There’s no need to get ahead of yourself and ramble on. Remember, the point of a meeting is to facilitate conversation and decision-making, so keeping things concise and short is very important.
When you end your meeting on a strong and positive note, everyone leaves the meeting feeling like they left with more than just a recommendation and that they are ready to tackle the next challenge.
Meetings are important for keeping teams on the same page. They allow you to share ideas, work out problems and set goals for future tasks. However, not all meetings are created equal. Some meetings go on for hours without accomplishing anything, or they waste time with unproductive discussions. Meetings can be productive if there is a clear agenda and the meeting is focused on accomplishing its objectives. If you’re looking for ways to make your next meeting successful, follow the above guide to leading effective meetings.
