Six Rules For Efficient Meetings!

Meetings are important; yet, they suck because of the time they take. Therefore, it is very important to effectively run meetings and make them more productive. So here are six team-meeting ideas to organize efficient meetings and increase productivity. 

Set the agenda:

Set the agenda before the meeting, so that all the attendees are on the same page. According to a Harvard Business Review paper, setting an appropriate and organised agenda helps team members stay focused in the meeting. Here is an example of how exactly can you prepare the agenda of your meeting.

Set goals/assign tasks which are measurable and achievable:

When you assign tasks in a meeting, ensure that the capacity and the efficiency of the team members is kept in mind, and that the tasks are achievable. Also, the goals should be clearly segregated as short-term and long-term goals. Do ensure that deadlines are set for the tasks/goals agreed upon in the meeting.

Regular report on goals achieved:

A meeting is successful only when the goals set/tasks assigned are achieved within the agreed timeframe. Ensure that the team shares status reports.

Don’t judge ideas:

Let the ideas flow fearlessly and openly throughout the meeting. As Steve Jobs said, “The ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.

Follow-up:

So, you had a great meeting; but what next? Do you have the same level of motivation? Did you follow up with the others on the actionables? Most meetings fail just because we don’t follow up.

The golden rule to everything in life is, ‘Follow up till it’s done’--whether it’s a sales meeting, community meeting, partnership meeting, a normal meeting with your friends or family or relatives. According to another Harvard Business Review paper, “Two things to do after meeting, Steve Jobs insisted that every item on a meeting agenda have a designated person responsible for that task and any follow-up work that happened.”

Dump the paper:

It’s good for the environment as well as you. Jot down all the points/notes from the meeting on a Google doc, Slack, Asana, Google Keep, Sticky Notes etc, and share it with all the attendees.

images not our own

So get ready, and rock that meeting! If you have more ideas, tell us in the comments below.