Set the ground rules of how your meetings will be
structured. Don’t allow phones, tablets, laptops unless needed for presentation
purposes. This avoids distractions and allows participates to be fully engaged.
No meeting should be over an hour. Attention spans wane. If a topic needs more
time, then break it up into pre-scheduled meetings or adjourn for a
continuation meeting. Start meetings on time. Late comers have to jump in and
don’t recap. They need to be respectful of everyone’s time.
Laser Focus
All meetings must a defined, measurable goal. This could be
determine a new vendor, evaluate the potential for a sales contract, or
brainstorm 3 ideas for new sales tactics. Whatever the meeting is for its goal
must be measurable, meaningful, and define. This drives the why of the meeting. Drill this home with
a focused agenda. Send the agenda to all parties as early as you can prior to
the meeting. The agenda needs to highlight the goal of the meeting and detail
the questions or topics to be reviewed.
Tricks of the Trade
Send out support materials ahead of time, preferably at
least 24 hours prior to the meeting. This allows everyone to absorb or at least
skim your talking points. This drives educated questions and streamlines
meeting time by avoiding diving through the details and going straight to
questions and actionable decisions. Don’t forget the follow up. The person that
held the meeting is responsible for achieving the meeting’s goal. A summary
email following the meeting bullet pointing the topic and the measurable
results (or lack there of) not only keeps everyone in the know, but also keeps
the meeting host accountable.
Try these tips and share if you saw improvement.
Have other ideas? Please share below. Happy Meeting!
