When was the last time you looked forward to a meeting? The answer is probably never. Meetings have the potential to be both fun and productive, but the majority of them just arenʼt! Time and time again managers fail to hold a successful meeting that gets the best of their team, so we have created a quick go-to guide on how to give your meetings a makeover.
1. Set an objective – How can you measure the success of a meeting if you donʼt have an objective? Set a realistic overall objective of the meeting and inform the participants of this. Although the overall objective changes each meeting, a staple aim of every meeting should be to leave participants feeling motivated and educated. If both your overall objective, and the staple aim have been fulfilled, then itʼs safe to say the meeting was a success.
2. Plan the agenda – Ask yourself, what topics must be covered in this meeting in order to achieve itʼs objective? Again, inform all participants beforehand of these topics, so they know what to expect and to prepare for. By creating this agenda, you should be able to set the length of time required for the meeting.
3. Choose the best timing – If the meeting is going to require a lot of time, make sure you schedule short breaks to keep participants from becoming disengaged. Try to avoid meeting very early or very late in the day. You may find participants are less productive at the start of the day, and less motivated very late in the day. Therefore, where possible, schedule your meeting somewhere in the middle.
4. Find an aesthetically pleasing meeting space – Research has shown time and time again that the interior of the workplace plays a part in the productivity of employees. A confined and dull space WILL NOT motivate employees. Find a meeting space with plenty of natural light, a bright interior and comfortable seating.
5. Involve everyone and promote creativity – The quietest people can have the best ideas! Be sure to ask for the contribution of ideas, solutions and feedback from EVERYONE. Let them know that their ideas are valued. Donʼt forget to encourage idea sharing amongst the team; a simple idea from one person can be snowballed by others into something great!
So, what do you think? Can we bring the life back to meetings?
