Make the Most of Your Time with Effective Meeting Strategies
We all know that meetings are dreaded by team members and facilitators alike. Although they’re meant to keep a team on track and motivated, too often they take up valuable time and zap productive energy. But meetings don’t have to be this way. Creating a well-organized and strongly led group starts with your meeting facilities and ends with a re-energized team. Use the following tips to make the most of your time with smooth running, productive meetings in your executive suites that your team will actually look forward to!
Where to Meet
The first step is to choose meeting facilities that will accommodate your team comfortably. The physical space should be large enough for the number of people in attendance without becoming overwhelming. The room should allow the team to converse, share ideas, and hold discussions. The space should also offer all the technological needs for presentations and collaboration including computer hook ups, display screens, video players, power outlets, and white boards. Using dedicated meeting facilities will keep outside distractions to a minimum so that your team can focus on the task at hand.
Set Expectations
Set realistic expectations for yourself and your team. This means outlining how often you meet and which topics can be covered in the allotted time. If your team hasn’t met in some time or has a number of items to deal with or a large project to discuss, know that your meeting is not going to be a short one. Evaluate the needs of your project and set expectations for how long a meeting will last. This will help you stay on track and better organize your time before and after meetings.
Create an Agenda
Once you have set realistic expectations for your meeting, create an agenda to release to your team in advance of the meeting. Build in time for questions and anything else that may need to be addressed during the meeting. When you release a meeting agenda in advance, you help your team members to come prepared and ready to focus on the needs of this particular meeting. Be sure to bring copies of the agenda to your executive suites on the day of the meeting so that everyone always has a copy of it.
Strong Leadership
Your leadership is more than just organizing individuals and groups. In a meeting, you facilitate discussion between team members that allows everyone to be heard and validated. Strong leadership also keeps tangents and rambling to a minimum. When your team members feel like they are not being heard or that certain individuals co-opt their time, they can feel like meetings lack value for them. Create an environment where your team can focus on their collaboration to maintain motivation.
Facilitate meetings that motivate and invigorate your team with a well-organized, realistic expectations, a solid agenda, and strong leadership. These tips will keep your team engaged and willing to participate in your next meeting.
