Effective meetings: How to get the most out of your time together
As someone who loves facilitating meetings, I know firsthand that they can be incredibly helpful when done well. But too many meetings can lead to burnout, as I discussed in my last blog post. That's why it's important to know how to run meetings effectively, ensuring that they always add value and move your work forward positively.
Over the years, I've received a lot of positive feedback from attendees who appreciate my approach to meetings. Here are a few tactics I use to make sure that everyone's time is respected and that we get the most out of our time together:
Before the Meeting:
Create an agenda and share it with your meeting invitees, ideally a week in advance. This helps everyone know what to expect during the meeting and what they need to prepare in advance.
Be thoughtful about who you invite to the meeting. Make sure that the right people are at the table to ensure that important questions can be answered and progress can be made. For example, if you need to discuss budget questions but don't have Yasmin from finance present, the meeting may not be very productive.
Consider the length of the meeting. Can that 1-hour meeting actually be 45 minutes? Brevity, when possible and appropriate, is always ideal.
During the Meeting:
Respect the time of all attendees. This means starting on time, even if the top person isn't there, and ending the meeting on time – even if it means scheduling a separate meeting to continue the conversation.
Set the tone for the meeting by asking attendees to mute their phones and turn them face down. This helps limit distractions and ensures that everyone is present and focused on the conversation. It's also important to make it clear that if someone needs to watch their phone for a personal reason, that's okay. The goal is to limit distractions, not to cut people off from their families or personal responsibilities.
Foster psychological safety by creating an environment where people feel comfortable sharing concerns and mistakes without fear of embarrassment or retribution. Not sure how to do this? Check out this Forbes article for 15 tips to get you started.
Always summarize the meeting with action items. Make sure everyone knows what is expected of them and the next steps.
If you have a big meeting coming up and could use a facilitator, I'm here to help. Shoot me a message, and we can work together to plan a successful, productive, and fun meeting for your team.
Sincerely,
