Are Meetings Passé In Today’s Business Environment?
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Mention the word ‘meeting’ to most managers, and you’ll be met with an audible sigh of misery.
They may be the cornerstone of any successful business, but running meetings often fills people with dread at the thought of the bickering, unproductive time spent mulling over tasks, and the ensuing malaise that takes place following a poor meeting.
Despite this, meetings remain one of the most invaluable ways to communicate with your team, generate ideas and resolve outstanding issues and challenges. There is a wealth of information relating to meeting best practice – it could take up a ream of posts simply covering the issues around how to mediate, how to run, and how to structure this communication tool.
Why are meetings important?
Research by Albert Mehrabian shows that meetings work where written communications can’t. They are effective because the written word only carries 7% of the true meaning and feeling of what is being expressed. Within teleconferences, only 38% of the meaning and feeling is carried by voice. Facial expression and non-verbal signals account for the remainder of the percentage, meaning that a meeting remains the most efficient and transparent way of communicating with your team and colleagues.
When can meetings really work?
Many of us go along to meetings without thinking about them, and end up in a room with a group of people who flounder from one subject to another. The best meetings are planned carefully, carried out to a strict agenda, and then followed up after the event to make sure all the outputs and actions are carried out as agreed.
Meetings make people happier and more productive as they set clear targets and objectives, and then provide documented actions and measures for monitoring tasks. A good meeting can be used to generate ideas, knit a team closer together and enhance problem solving when it is undertaken by a group of like-minded individuals all intent upon resolving the same issue.
What are the critical success factors which create a great meeting?
The following factors are the ‘make or break’ criteria for how a meeting turns out. The most effective meetings will adhere to best practice by including:
- A well-structured agenda with time, date, venue and attendees, circulated at least 24-hours prior to the start of the meeting
- Someone allocated as facilitator to run the meeting in line with the agenda
- Someone responsible for minute taking and circulating outputs after the meeting
- A clear list of objectives and subjects to cover, including time allocations for each
- The facilitator to introduce each topic and take responsibility for accurate time keeping
- A space for each person to contribute to each topic in turn, without feeling pressurized
- An acknowledgement that all ideas are valid (even if you don’t think they are!)
- A summary at the culmination of the meeting, confirming outputs, actions for each member at the meeting, and established timescales for achieving the actions set.
By following this basic strategy your meetings will become more inclusive, productive and efficient. You can then commence your next meeting with a check-in from staff relating to actions achieved. This starts a powerful momentum for each meeting that your staff will soon fall in with and respond to, maximizing your efficiency as a team.
How do you run effective meetings?
Please share your views in the comments below.
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Hi, Andrew Rondeau here. I have over 25 years of hands-on management experience within a diverse range of different industries including retail, manufacturing, finance and IT. I’ve managed teams of up to 1000 individuals, managing numerous $multi-million projects, mergers, acquisitions and company sales.
