Make Meetings Matter More

As a manager it would be nice to be able to tell your staff exactly what to do and have them go off and do it. Of course it would be nice but it isn’t going to happen. Every workplace needs the opportunity to gather the employees together and have a meeting of the minds to check where everyone is at in their development. It also ensures that everyone is on the same page regarding the direction of the business.

The problem is so many meetings are completely boring and the information being presented goes in one ear and out of the other by the time it’s over. Poorly run meetings put people to sleep. As the manager you need to step up and stop the snooze fest and make nap time more productive.

Have a specific reason to meet – Center the focus and discussion around the purpose of your meeting to make it more productive. Don’t try to squeeze extra information into the few precious moments you can keep your coworkers' attention. If you have another big topic to toss around for discussion schedule another meeting even if it’s just after lunch.

Prepare pre-meeting prep work – Talk to as many people as possible before the meeting so you already have a general idea of where everyone stands on the issue. This also gets people mulling over what they want to say before the meeting instead of stalling to collect their thoughts when asked on the spot.

Set an agenda – Knowing the opening and closing points you need to make is very important in conducting a successful meeting. Outlining a basic schedule with a general timeframe will help keep the meeting on track so no one tunes out because they feel like it’s dragging on forever. Stick to your time slots and cut off conversation if necessary. You can always discuss it in the next meeting or a follow up email.

Present information in multiple formats – Listening to someone ramble on like Ben Stein in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is one of the biggest meeting turn offs possible. Likewise watching someone flip through thousands of PowerPoint slides can be just as off putting. Mix up the mediums in your meeting. Start with a speech then flip though a limited amount of slides, present hand outs or do whatever you have to do to make sure everyone isn’t sitting statically staring at the same spot for the duration.

Change the location – Think back to how great it was in grade school when your teacher decided class would be better taught outside on a sunny day. Perhaps meeting around a picnic table outside instead of seated around a conference table inside will help inspire the creative solutions you are searching for simply by swapping the scenery.

Offer a bribe– It works for toddlers and it will work for your team mates too. Offering a spread of snacks will keep people’s energy and attention up. Motivation to engage in the meeting doesn’t have to simply be snacks. Offer prizes like extra time at lunch, company schwag, or time off in the afternoon for attendees and watch what kind of turn out you get..

When it comes to coordinating effective office meetings try to think outside of the cubicle. The more you invest in planning the more your people will take away from the meeting.

Have you ever been required to call a meeting?  How was it?  Let us know in the comments.

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