More productive meetings start with a plan and encourage participation.

If you dread meetings, it may mean you’ve been in too many that are poorly planned and poorly run. The most effective meetings are those with an agenda and where everyone on the invite list knows what to expect so they can prepare. Use the following tips to make your next meeting more effective.

Know the meeting’s objective

According to Wharton Magazine, there are only three good reasons to hold a business meeting: to create a forum, make decisions or build or strengthen a team. If the reason for meeting doesn’t align with one of these objectives, it may be better to address your concern through one-to-one communication, either in person or by email.

Identify who needs to be there

One key to meeting efficiency is to fine-tune the invite list. The project owner, decision-makers and team members with critical insights should be the only ones invited.

Avoid inviting people just to keep them informed. Share meeting notes with anyone who needs updates but doesn’t need to attend.

Share the agenda well before the meeting

Meeting preparation should always include a detailed agenda that includes a list of topics, a time allotment for each topic and notes who owns each topic.

Attach the agenda to the meeting invite so attendees arrive prepared with any reports, information or insights the team needs to make decisions or plan next steps.

Rotate roles and encourage participation

When you have recurring meetings, rotate the roles of facilitator and note-taker among team members. Opening the facilitator role to everyone allows people to practice leadership skills in a small setting. The note-taker role requires concentration and may interfere with the note-taker’s ability to contribute. Having different note-takers ensures that, over time, everyone has equal opportunities to contribute.

To encourage participation, consider these tactics:

• If invitees can’t attend the meeting, provide a way for them to share input beforehand.
• In virtual meetings, direct participants to comment in the chat.
• Regularly seek input. Ask directed, open-ended questions. Instead of a vague request like, “Any thoughts?” try, “What challenges do we face in rolling this product out in three months?”

Planning, inviting only relevant participants, rotating roles and encouraging participation will help you run better meetings and boost your team’s productivity.

 

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