In life may it be for school or for work, one would surely experience being in a meeting. Having meetings are a good thing, as it allows stakeholders to get up to speed on current events (everyone is on the same page), exchange of ideas, trashing out mistakes and even allow forward thinking for future plans for projects or organizations.
But as with all things, if the meeting are not executed properly, it commonly ends up being a waste of time for the attendees or making the experience unpleasant. So after some observations, here are some tips that might help ease the pain.
1. Set an agenda list
It is important for meetings or discussions to have agendas, as this helps inform all parties involve what the meeting is about and it helps the person chairing the meeting have a structured flow to follow during the whole meeting.
So if calling for a meeting in future, prepare an agenda or at least have a it clearly written out on a whiteboard or a piece of paper. In that way, everyone in the meeting can easily view what topics are going to be covered and be able to prepare for questions or suggestions if any.
2. Focus, prioritize the agenda
Once you have created an agenda list, make sure to prioritize the list. This way the most important issues at hand would be covered first and more time could be allocated to those topics. Plus it’s best to tackle higher priority items when everyone is fresh.
At times it’s noticed that in meetings, people tend to have a list of issues to cover but do not prioritize them. This becomes messy if there’s a deadlock on a particular issue, as it tends to increase the overall meeting time. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for trashing out ideas and finding the best solution, but do examine if the topic at hand is of priority, if so make sure you get the agreed upon solution or someone has to veto a solution.
If not perhaps have a general discussion than move on to the next issue (Don’t harp around a topic which is of lesser importance). One can always take it offline or discuss it in the next meeting. Remember the keyword is “FOCUS”.
3. Be prepared, read the agenda to know what is going to be discussed upon
Its only right for you to read the agenda after all the work being put into it and prepare for the meeting. Knowing the flow of the agenda helps one anticipate what’s going to be touched during the meeting and it allows one to prepare for questions to be asked.
Furthermore being prepare helps limit digression from topics and it helps improve productivity and facilitates the flow of the meeting too.
4. Role of a facilitator
This is an important person in any meeting, as they play the role of peacekeeper and pacemaker. An example if there’s a heated debate on a particular issue, they would have to step in and try to facilitate a resolution for the parties involved. Their role as a pacemaker would also help them move the meeting forward in such situations.
5. Kiss, keep it short and sweet
Meeting durations can always spin out of control and exceed the actual time allocated. So its important to set a time limit and remember to keep them short and sweet. If a complex problem has too be tackled, It’s best to break it down into several smaller issues, this way the task wouldn’t seem so daunting and it can be tackled easier.
In the end, meetings is a means of gathering individuals together to find solutions to problems, get up to speed or iron out issues. Therefore one must remember these solutions formulated or discussed has to be executed, therefore having meetings that are long and not focus tend to be a waste of time as after all that is said and done, more is said than done.
Don’t you agree… :)
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