How to make your business meetings more effective

If you're like most businesspeople, you probably spend a lot of time in meetings. In fact, according to a recent survey, the average person spends about 19% of their time in meetings. That's a lot of time!

So, how can you make sure that your meetings are effective? Here are some tips:

Define the purpose of the meeting.

Before you even start planning the meeting, take a step back and think about its purpose. What do you hope to accomplish? What outcome do you want?

If you can't answer these questions, then chances are the meeting isn't necessary. And even if it is necessary, it's likely that it won't be very effective.

Keep it small.

The smaller the meeting, the better. That's because smaller meetings are generally more focused and efficient.

Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. But in general, you should try to keep your meetings to 10 people or less.

Send an agenda in advance.

One of the best ways to make your meetings more effective is to send an agenda to all of the attendees in advance. This will give them a chance to prepare for the meeting and also help to keep the meeting on track.

Start and end on time.

This may seem like a no-brainer, but you'd be surprised how many meetings start late and end late.

If you start and end your meetings on time, it will show that you respect the time of your attendees. And it will also help to keep the meetings themselves more focused and efficient.

Encourage participation.

In order for meetings to be effective, you need to encourage participation from all attendees. This means creating an environment where people feel comfortable speaking up and sharing their ideas.

One way to do this is to start the meeting with an icebreaker. This can be something as simple as going around the room and having everyone introduce themselves.

Take breaks.

If you have a long meeting, it's a good idea to take a break every so often. This will give people a chance to stretch their legs and take a mental break.

Follow up after the meeting.

Finally, don't forget to follow up after the meeting. Send out minutes or action items to all of the attendees. This will help to ensure that everyone is on the same page and that the meeting accomplished its goals.

Posted on Feb 24, 2023, in Business