Discover how to get better results from team meetings.

Well-run meetings that help teams work more effectively don’t happen by accident. They’re the result of planning what happens before, during and after you convene. Use these tips for running better meetings.

Don’t skip pre-meeting planning

Before scheduling a meeting, evaluate if one is even needed. Can the matter be handled by text or email? If so, no meeting is needed.

When meetings are necessary, determine who needs to be there. Invite only those who’ll provide input and those who can make decisions.

When inviting folks to a meeting, always include an agenda. When the meeting purpose is clear to attendees, they can come prepared. Also, an agenda helps you determine how long the meeting should be.

Tips for running the meeting

Show respect for everyone’s time by starting and ending meetings on time. Sticking to the agenda can help keep conversations from going on tangents.

If worthwhile off-agenda topics come up, put them in “the parking lot,” meaning start a list and get back to these items later. If there’s time left after covering the agenda, you can address them then. Otherwise, add parking lot topics to the next meeting’s agenda or follow up with individuals.

Monitor the time as the meeting progresses. If you’re nearing the scheduled end time and several agenda items are left, check in with attendees. Can the meeting be extended or should you schedule another meeting? Conversely, if you’ve covered everything on the agenda before the scheduled end time, wrap up the meeting early.

Some folks are quite comfortable speaking up in meetings while others hold back. Invite quiet or silent team member to contribute. One way to encourage participation is to provide questions beforehand and include them in the agenda. This gives people time to fully form ideas rather than feeling they’re in the hot seat. You can also rotate who leads the meeting as a way to get more participation.

Have a designated person take notes that will be shared with the team after the meeting. Keep in mind that the notetaker might contribute less to the discussion because they’re focused on capturing key ideas, questions and action items. For this reason, many teams rotate who gets note-taking responsibility.

Alternatively, teams can adopt a collaborative note-taking approach where everyone contributes to a shared document. This method helps capture more ideas and information, as well as avoids putting pressure on one person.

Plan what happens after the meeting

To get the most out of your meeting, plan what you’ll do after the meeting concludes. Specifically:

• Provide attendees with written notes that highlight key ideas along with action items and who’s responsible for them.
• Seek feedback, especially for recurring meetings. Ask participants what works and what doesn’t. Explore how meetings can be more productive in the future.
• Use notes from the last meeting to plan the agenda for your next meeting.

Focus on progress rather than perfection. It may take several meetings to get into the rhythm of planning, running and following up with ease but the gains in effectiveness will be worth the effort.