Meetings are an essential part of business life but can also be time consuming and sometimes unproductive. Here is some advice on how to run a more productive meeting and achieve set objectives.Plan/prepare - lack of purpose causes aimless meetings. Know why you're there - what
meeting is for.
Unnecessary meetings waste time, and regular meetings, e.g. weekly, become habitual/traditional, regardless of need. Only have meetings when necessary, and cancel when not.
Set agendas which are more than a list of headings without explanation. Each agenda item can have only three reasons for inclusion - to discuss, decide, or inform. Adding short descriptions of items can help people prepare and decide attendance.
Choose an appropriate order. Most important first encourages punctuality. Leave less important items to end - if necessary they can be postponed/abandoned. Putting them last discourages taking too much time on them.
Attendance needs managing - absence can cause delays, and lead to fruitless discussion. Check important people are attending, and make judgement calls to cancel/reschedule if not. Consider phoning for input during meetings if people can't physically attend, or get briefed beforehand.
Poor timekeeping is rude, disrespectful and a waste of time. If not dealt with, it becomes acceptable, and things usually get worse. Very few meetings have an end-time. Why? Try to give an end-time - it allows people to plan adequately. Otherwise people assume meetings will always be an hour.
Too many people are hard to control - discussions take longer! If people are only needed for some items, let them leave after them, saving everyone's time.
