Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Simple Tricks for Running Effective Meetings

Simple Tricks for Running Effective Meetings

Every minute counts in today's workplace. But, unfortunately those valuable minutes are spent in meetings where a little is accomplished. Based on annual report from salary.com, 26 percent of respondents said the biggest time-wasting activity was having too many meetings and conference calls.

Mention your goals before the start

Clear-cut invitation should be given to everyone who participates in the meeting which would make them to stick on the same page. When proper agenda is created, setting your clear expectations and understanding its purpose will be easier to keep the conversation on track within the time.

Who is to be invited
Have a look into the most successful organizations where they keep meetings small. For instance, Larry Page suggested a 10-person limit for their meetings with other corporates, where everyone should contribute to the conversation else they shouldn't attend the meeting. Amazon's CEO Jeff Bezos uses 'two pizza' rule where the groups are to be small enough that it takes only two pizzas to feed every person involved.  Thus, Reassess the list of attendees before sending out next meeting invitation.

Always Stick to 30 minutes or less
Some meetings like strategic planning session might require more space on your calendar. But, on frequent staff meetings & check-ins, you have to limit the meeting's length to 30 minutes or lesser. Ideal meeting length is to be between 10-18 minutes as per the suggestions of many reports.

Limit distractions from technology
For quick, efficient business meetings, the attendees should silence their phones which is to be informed before the meeting starts which will surely prevent most of the distractions.

Assign a DRI for the meeting
High-end corporates assign a DRI (or) 'Directly Responsible Individual' for each meetings to make accountability clear and  attendees can pass questions to the right individual, ensuring smooth running of each project.  When the purpose behind your meetings are determined, applying these rules will be easier and help you on transforming bad meetings into productive conversations.

Article Credit: http://www.atkku.com/blog/Home/AtkkuAllServices/37