How to improve company meetings and make them shorter
How can we organize more productive and efficient meetings? Here are 8 suggestions which will enable you to improve the quality of your company meetings:Â practical tips to follow day by day in the professional workplace.
- Consider whether the meeting is really necessary
If you wish to improve office meetings, you should first ask yourself if your regular meetings are really necessary or whether they are in fact superfluous: in that case, opt for a phone call or send an email instead!
- Be punctual
The meeting timetable should not be changed even if there are latecomers;Â otherwise time will be wasted for no reason. Those who are not punctual can ask the other participants for a brief summary later.
- Nominate a chairman
The most productive meetings are those which have a chairman to keep the meeting focused on the points to be discussed, give people the chance to speak, keep an eye on the clock and maintain order.
- Find a quiet place
The most successful meetings are usually those held in a quiet and preferably sound-proofed setting. This encourages a greater sense of calm and better concentration.
- Announce points for discussion in advance
In order to improve meetings it is important to let the participants know the planned points for discussion some time beforehand. It is sufficient to send them a simple email a couple of days before the meeting.
- Stimulate solution hunting
It is futile to waste time on those who are merely out to criticize: a good professional meeting is one where people put forward constructive solutions and useful ideas for negotiation.
- Avoid breaks during meetings
Breaks during meeting generally lead to considerable time-wasting. Unless the meeting lasts an entire morning or afternoon, eliminate breaks completely.
- Only invite essential participants
Involving too many people in an office meeting has no purpose, other than creating un-necessary confusion. Remember to invite only those staff members whose presence is strictly necessary.
These are our 8 handy tips for organizing more productive meetings in a professional context: valid suggestions to make every business meeting more efficient, productive and advantageous for the entire company.
Translated by Joanne Beckwith