An efficient meeting respects people’s time, builds consensus, achieves its objectives, and leads to meaningful action. Here are tips to keep your meetings focused and productive.
- Define the purpose. Why are you having the meeting? Is it to make important decisions, provide updates, or provide a space for brainstorming or discussion? If the goal isn’t clear, a meeting may not be necessary. Ask yourself whether the goal can be achieved with an email.
- Invite the right people. Most meetings will involve a predefined committee or group. Other people might be invited if specific topics require additional knowledge or perspective. Make sure the agenda items are relevant to everyone who is attending; if not, consider canceling the meeting or altering the invitation list.
- Create a focused agenda. List specific topics with realistic time estimates for each. Prioritize items, starting with the most urgent items and saving more “discussion-focused” issues for later. If possible, state each agenda item as a specific and challenging question.
- Send materials in advance. As a rule, share the agenda a week in advance, but no later than 24 hours ahead, along with any documents that need to be reviewed beforehand. Ask participants to come prepared by asking them specific questions, identifying specific areas for feedback, or coming with their questions or feedback. If you have listed agenda items as questions, ask them to come prepared with answers or solution ideas.
- Stay on time. To respect everyone’s time, begin promptly and end early or on time. If guests are invited to participate at specific times, adhere to the times in the agenda that was distributed.
- Clarify roles. For every meeting there should be three individuals with specific roles: a facilitator who keeps the discussion on track, a timekeeper who keeps time per agenda item, and a note-taker who captures key decisions and action items.
- Stick to the agenda. Gently redirect off-topic discussions. Consider using the “Parking Lot” strategy where unrelated issues are put in a “parking lot” for follow-up.
- Encourage participation. Invite quieter voices to contribute. Discourage side conversations or speakers monopolizing the floor. One strategy to use is to allow each person to speak only once on a topic until everyone else who wants to speak has had the opportunity to do so. Another is to alternate between speakers in favor of a proposed action and those against it.
- Encourage participants to take notes. Research shows that hand-writing notes helps people to remember and understand what has been discussed. Additionally, ask participants to write down their questions instead of interrupting. If having an online meeting, ask participants to use the chat feature to ask questions.
- Summarize and assign action items. At the end of the meeting, clearly state the decisions that were made, and assign people tasks, if appropriate, including deadlines. This helps everyone understand what has happened at the meeting.
- Share meeting notes promptly. Include key decisions, action items, and next steps.
- Follow up. Check in on action items before the next meeting. Evaluate meeting effectiveness periodically and ask for feedback.
RESOURCES
- Slack Blog: How to Run Effective Virtual and In-Person Meetings
- Harvard Business Review: How to Create the Perfect Meeting Agenda by Steven Rogelberg
- Scientific American: A Learning Secret: Don’t Take Notes with a Laptop by Cindi May
- University of Kansas: Conducting Effective Meetings
- Winthrop University: Effective Meeting Strategies
- Department of Homeland Security: Holding Effective Meetings Guide