Typical problems faced by managers and employees of companies who spend a large part of their lives at meetings and planning meetings:
- Empty talk. We spent a lot of time on the meeting, and what is its result is not clear. Buried in the turnover, but did not get to the important.
- We plan one thing, we do another. Or we do nothing. Tasks are set, but not fulfilled or not brought to a result.
- There is no initiative. After the planning meeting, employees still run with questions to the manager, they cannot make even simple decisions on their own.
Why is this happening? Many executives we interviewed see this as a necessary evil and meetings as a waste of time. And, nevertheless, they hold them – because for some reason it is impossible to manage a business without meetings.
But more often than not, the reasons for wasting time in meetings are quite simple. For a meeting to be effective, it must have a purpose, and the structure of the meeting must lead to that purpose. If any of this is missing – either the goal was forgotten, or the structure is missing or does not match the goal – then the meeting begins to stall.
Checklist for Business Meeting
We have prepared this checklist so that you can conduct your meetings and planning meetings effectively without drowning in routine and talk about nothing.
To keep meetings from turning into a “Let’s talk” format,
you can use a handy checklist with questions for self-checking the status of business meetings.
You just need to honestly answer these questions:
1. Organization of meetings
Is there a schedule of meetings planned for the period?
Are there meeting rules?
Are participants aware of the meeting schedule?
Is the composition of the meeting participants determined in advance?
Have the agenda and minutes of the meetings been formatted?
2. Preparing for meetings
Participants are notified in advance of the meeting
Agenda sent to participants well in advance
Reporting materials are sent to participants in advance
Responsible prepare reports in writing
The preparation and equipment of the meeting room is checked
3. Meetings
The order of consideration of the agenda is observed
Is time taken into account for agenda topics?
Meeting participants are correct and listen to each other
Responsible and presenters always offer solutions
Participants do not go to the clarification of personal relationships in discussions
4. End meetings
Minutes prepared and agreed at the current meeting
Everyone understands what to do according to the protocol after the meeting
The meeting was held within the scheduled time
The agenda and participants of the next meeting are determined
5. Meeting control
The protocol is approved and sent to interested parties
Orders were delivered to the executors in a timely manner
Performance reports are sent to the secretary in a timely manner
The reasons for non-execution of instructions are established and discussed
The progress of the execution of orders is always controlled
Performing discipline is evaluated and conclusions are drawn
6. Analysis of meetings
The history of consideration of the issues of the meetings is analyzed.
Time spent by meeting topics are analyzed.
Materials from the Meetings Database are used in the work.
Statistics used by meeting participants.
The labor costs of the meeting participants are analyzed.
Rules are the Key to a Successful Meeting
The result of teamwork depends entirely on how the discussions go. Follow these guidelines to use the experience of each team member, their trust and respect for each other – for the sake of productive work of the team.
Discuss Anything
When you come to a meeting, leave your own biases, limitations, taboos, and the desire to reject ideas without listening to them to the end. Any topics are eligible for discussion.
Everyone is equal
People should not be afraid to voice their opinions, argue, offer ideas or ask questions in the presence of leaders. Give each meeting participant an equal vote.
Let Everyone Speak
Introverts don’t usually get into arguments. Extroverts, on the other hand, love to talk. If there are 6 people for an hour-long meeting, make sure everyone speaks for about 10 minutes. Do not forget that the best decisions are born only after everyone is heard.
Nothing Personal
Don’t let your emotions run free and don’t bring personal relationships into the discussion, otherwise the argument will turn from constructive to destructive. Argue with arguments, but not with people. Evaluate ideas, not the people who created them.
What happened in the meeting room stays in the meeting room
Agree that under no circumstances will what happens at the meeting become known to outsiders.
Finally Make Up Your Mind
No meeting should be wasted. Begin by stating the reason for the interview and the outcome you expect from it. During the negotiation, remind yourself (and others) of the purpose of the negotiation and remember to make a decision at the end. The meeting can only have two acceptable outcomes: either you have agreed on the topic to be discussed, or you have understood exactly what information you need, where and from whom you will get it, and when you will meet next, to make a final decision decision.
Gadgets Are Prohibited
A person is not a multitasking system, he cannot concentrate on everything at the same time, something has to be sacrificed. If you focus half your attention on what’s happening in a meeting (and the other half on your smartphone or laptop), you’ll shorten meetings by 50% – and don’t get distracted during that time!