When staff members come together for a company meeting, it’s important that progress is made on pertinent company issues. If your company meetings don’t produce concrete results, they will end up simply wasting time and plaguing your staff members with the burdensome task of attending.
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Ideally, staff members should look forward to company meetings as an opportunity to accomplish important work tasks.
Maximize meeting productivity
The following are six important tips you can implement at your workplace if you’d like to optimize your company meetings and do your utmost to guarantee a productive, enjoyable atmosphere for the occasions when your staff gets together.
#1. Set the environment right
Many (not all) company meetings are important enough that the setting of the business meeting makes a difference. There have been extensive studies about how the environment people are in influences their mood, motivation, and behavior. A room can send a real message to your employee.
You may want to check out some designs on general sites like Pinterest, or Houzz, or even a specific contractor like Centura to plan out a small office remodel built for company meetings. It may really help your meetings run better.
#2. Have some real purpose
Is your meeting really necessary? Your meeting will be unlikely to seem overly productive if you or your staff members realize that a meeting really wasn’t necessary to accomplish the task at hand.
One great resource that changed the way that I personally view purpose in company meetings is Simon Sinek’s How Great Leader’s Inspire Action. Really think about the “why” of your company meeting. Make sure a meeting is necessary, and take the time to prepare for the meeting beforehand by laying out an agenda.
#3. Be clear about the meeting’s goals
Everyone who is attending your meeting should be well aware of what needs to be accomplished. Communication and preparation are key.
Not only should you reiterate the meeting’s goals in the first few minutes of your company meeting, but you should also be sure that those who will be presenting information or speaking have known of the meeting’s purpose beforehand so that they too can prepare.
#4. Do not stray from the task at hand
It’s easy to get sidetracked at a meeting as employees add their input and the topic of conversation strays. You might want to police the meeting a bit and get staff members back on track if they are becoming diverted by subjects that can be covered at a future meeting or after the primary tasks at hand have been addressed.
#5. Encourage participation and input
Staff members who attend meetings without having the opportunity to participate might grow bored with attending meetings and feel that they are not really needed. Try to get all meeting attendees to partake in the meeting in some way, and encourage open participation and discussion.
When employees are empowered with the ability to give input that matters, they will retain a much higher percentage of information from the meeting than if they simply sat back to watch a presentation.
#6. Assume the meeting will go longer than expected
Be aware that – if you really want to get everything done – your meeting will likely go past the scheduled time. Make adjustments as necessary.
#7. Recap key developments at the end
Reinforce the progress made at your meeting by going over any decisions that have been made. Quiz employees and ask them to apply decisions made to their specific role in the company.
hannah whittenly
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