Whether you love them or dread them, meetings are a part of any business. As I’ve worked with all kinds of companies, I’ve found that most people are usually in one of two groups. The first group has a meeting for anything and everything. They spend more time talking about things than actually doing them. And while the 30 minute meeting starts off discussing marketing plans, an hour later the team is talking about what color to paint someone’s kitchen. The second group never has any meetings at all, leaving projects undone and everyone feeling frustrated with the lack of communication.
Successful businesses know how to avoid both of these extremes. Making meetings work for your business is as simple as using the right process. Here are our tips for setting up a meeting for success from start to finish.
Before Scheduling a Meeting
Much of a meetings’ effectiveness is determined before anyone is in the room. Set your meeting up for success right from the start. Here are a few questions to consider as you are preparing for a meeting:
1. Do we really need a meeting?
Can we accomplish this without scheduling a meeting? Would an email, phone call or even a quick chat in person get us the information we need? If so, skip the meeting. Some meetings do need to happen.
I do recommend that every business has a regular team meeting at least every two weeks. I meet with my team weekly to review projects and sales goals. This way no one falls behind on projects, we keep our sales goals in check and no client gets lost between the cracks.
2. Who needs to be there?
Everyone does not need to be at every meeting. This is especially true if you have a large organization. Consider what needs to be accomplished, who can provide the information needed or offer insight and ideas. You also want to make sure that key decision makers are there so the objective of the meeting can be met right then and not be stalled or left open ended.
3. Do you have an agenda?
Agendas are essential to any successful meeting. Following an agenda will keep everyone on track, make the most of the scheduled time and ensure that you are accomplishing the meeting goals.
We use a digital agenda template saved in Google Drive for our team meetings. Using a template keeps us organized and we don’t have to rethink the meeting topics and objectives each week. Templates can include regular agenda topics as well as an area for special items that might change from meeting to meeting. Agenda topics can also include the estimated time allotted to help keep the meeting from running long.
Make sure you share the agenda with meeting attendees in advance. This gives everyone time to review and prepare. Using a digital agenda also allows everyone to add notes, questions or other relevant information directly to the agenda.
4. What is the meeting objective?
Make sure everyone knows the purpose of the meeting by sharing a clear and concise objective. This will help you keep the meeting focused on the right things. Defining the meeting objective can also helps:
- Determine who to invite
- Team members prepare
- Keep the meeting on topic
5. How can you help your team prepare?
We’ve talked a lot about what needs to happen before you conduct any meeting. And while most of the prep work for a meeting is done by the facilitator, there are ways for meeting attendees to be prepared as well.
- Review the agenda. Make sure you know what the meeting objective is and be prepared with any information or ideas to contribute.
- Review the notes from the prior meeting paying special attention to any action items assigned to you or your team. Be prepared to give a status update on tasks and projects.
- Consider why you were invited. If you will be needed to provide information such as sales numbers or marketing campaign results, make sure you have the most current and complete information so the right decisions can be made.
- Know the meeting objective. Consider ways you and your team can help meet that objective.
During the Meeting
Now that you have everyone together, make sure your meetings are productive and positive.
Be a Good Facilitator
Effective meetings need a strong facilitator. The main responsibility of the facilitator is to keep the meeting on track and on time by following the agenda. One tip I always recommend is that the meeting facilitator should be the last person to speak after asking for suggestions. If we are brainstorming new topics and ideas, and I share my ideas first, it’s easy for everyone to say “Oh yeah, good idea! Let’s go with that.” If you wait to let everyone else share first, you’ll end up with a variety of responses and more out of the box ideas.
Assign a Note Taker
Without a designated note taker, everyone has pieces of the meeting notes, but no one has the full picture. The note taker keeps a record of the discussion, paying special attention to action items and decisions.
The note taker also helps keep the meeting on topic. As other ideas or issues come up that don’t support the meeting objective they can be placed in the “parking lot” and addressed at another time. The note taker keeps track of parking lot items by adding them to future meeting agendas or sending them to the appropriate person or team.
The note taker can also record meeting notes right on the digital agenda. This saves time and work, and all of the meeting notes, decisions and action items will be in a central, available location.
Be a Good Attendee
It goes without saying that meetings are more productive when everyone there is respectful of the facilitator and other attendees. Know when to listen and when to share.
Don’t be afraid to speak up. If you’ve done your homework and are prepared to contribute you can offer a real perspective and bring value to the meeting.
And while it may be tempting to zone out during parts of the meeting that may not apply to you or your team, pay attention anyway. Offer your outside perspective. For example, someone might be discussing marketing and you’re not in the marketing department. You can still share valuable insights about how the proposed marketing will affect your area, what you’ve seen in your area, and how that relates to the marketing ideas being discussed. Don’t forget, there is always something more to learn by listening.
Take Your Own Notes
Take your own notes and jot down ideas that come up as the meeting progresses. Make special note of any assignments and keep a running list of action items for you and your team. Highlight or put a star next to anything that pertains specifically to you or your team. This helps you quickly see the items that need to be added to your task list and team follow up.
After the Meeting
You might be tempted to leave a meeting and get back to your other tasks. But the real measure of a successful meeting is determined by what happens afterwards. An effective meeting process will not only include how to prepare and run a meeting, but also help walk you through what needs to follow after the meeting. Here’s a quick checklist to help you follow up:
Follow Up for Facilitators
- Look through your notes. Add any action items immediately to your CRM or task management software. Don’t forget to assign due dates.
- Make sure parking lot items are assigned to the next meeting agenda or sent to the right person to follow up.
- Send out a meeting summary. This could be as simple as sharing the digital agenda so everyone can see the notes and action items. Or you can email a short paragraph summarizing the decisions made and actions that need to be taken. Make sure that everyone is on the same page and can move forward.
Follow Up for Attendees
- Report back to your team with decisions that impact them
- Follow up on action items and be prepared to give a status update at the next meeting
- Check tasks in CRM and make sure you are getting them done
Don’t waste another minute in long, unproductive meetings. Having a process in place for before, during and after a meeting ensures that your meetings work for you. Your team will leave with the information and direction they need to keep your business moving forward smoothly and successfully.
