Have you spent so much time in meetings and calls that you wondered when you would have time to do your "real" work? Many of my clients complain that they waste time in meetings that are long, ineffective and take them away from other priorities.
So, how do you make sure your meetings are as effective and productive as possible? In my opinion, there are five key components of an effective, structured meeting that can give yourself — and others — time back in the day.
1. Introduction
Before the meeting, find out who will be attending and why. Think about your audience. Is this a familiar audience with whom you regularly speak, or will there be new people in the meeting? In my experience, a few minutes of small talk as people walk in or join a call can help set the tone and also help you understand the mood your audience is in.
Don't forget to plan your own introduction ahead of time. For example, if you're speaking to a new client and need to establish credibility, you can include additional information about yourself, such as the number of years you've been in the industry or a highly visible project you worked on. For all audiences, pay attention to the tone of your voice. Whether you start off sounding frustrated and snippy or calm and focused, your audience is likely to reciprocate. Take a deep breath and smile before you start — especially if you are using the phone. Believe it or not, a smile before you speak will add an element of warmth to your voice.
2. Goals
It's astonishing to me the number of times I've walked into a meeting that didn't have a proper agenda. At the outset of the meeting, lay out your goals or objectives for the meeting. For example: "By the end of this meeting, we need to have decided on ... "
A clear roadmap will help anchor the entire audience and focus them on the end goal. As you prepare, keep a rough idea of how much time you want to devote to each section on your agenda. For example, if you have three key areas to cover in a 60-minute meeting, do they require 20 minutes each, or will one take 40 minutes and the other two 10 minutes each?
3. Content
Structure your content so that the most important issues are addressed first. That way, if the meeting is interrupted, goes on a tangent or key attendees need to leave, the most salient information will at least be heard. As an added bonus, if you can knock out important items quickly, you could get a reputation for running effective meetings, which often makes people more willing to attend your meetings in the future.
4. Tangents
Tangents and sidebars are inevitable, so anticipate them. Decide ahead of time what your strategy will be — either take them or table them.
There are trade-offs here. If you take a tangent, you are going to have less time for the other items on your agenda. Sometimes the issues are important and need to be addressed at the moment. If that's the case, take the tangent and understand that you might need to set up a separate call to cover the other pieces on your agenda. If the tangent is not important enough to sidetrack your meeting, table it to the end of the meeting. Make sure you leave a few minutes at the end of your meeting to revisit any tangents that might have come up.
5. Wrap Up
Your conclusion should include a discussion of action items and next steps. In my experience, laying out specifically who is going to do what, and by when, is key for accountability and follow-up. Make sure you end on time (or early!). If you run over time, your audience is likely to get annoyed, and there's a good chance they will stop listening to you as their minds race ahead to their next item in their day. But if you end on time, you send a signal to others that you are efficient, can accomplish tasks in a set period of time and respect their time.
From what I have seen with my clients, using a structured approach to your meetings that include these five key components will help you be more productive and use your time well. This will also demonstrate that you are a leader who can manage time and projects efficiently, and it might even boost your reputation within your company.
