Meetings Blow But Yours Doesn't Have to
Once a week I sit in a meeting where I start mentally calculating the cost of the meeting to the company. Luckily, our friends at Sales Crunch calculated the cost of meetings for me. A weekly team check-in costs a company $1,340 per month or a whopping $16,080 per year. Yikes.
Ineffective meetings are an incredible tool to kill morale and damage the relationships you have with team members.
WARNING – SNARK AHEAD!
Table of Contents
Have a Purpose
Before pressing send on that Outlook meeting invite, ask yourself one question “What is the purpose of this meeting?”. If you can't state the purpose in one sentence, don't hit send and rethink if you need to have a meeting.
But Michelle what about those weekly check-in meetings that managers are so fond of? If you have nothing new to tell your team, cancel it. Don't waste their time. Don't waste yours. Nobody has ever cried in their cubicle because the team meeting got cancelled. Most will thank you for NOT wasting their time.
Have an Agenda
If you have a purpose – have an agenda! Every post about how to make meetings suck less gives this advice. You know why it is mentioned in every post? No one follows this advice! I'm serious create an agenda in ADVANCE. Not five minutes before the meeting. At LEAST one day in advance. Give estimates for how long you plan to spend on each topic and stick to it. It shows the team that you respect their time.
Co-create the Agenda with your Team
If you prepare an agenda in advance, why not circulate it to the team and see if they have anything to add. If they co-create it, they will be more engaged in the meeting. By valuing their opinion, you value their time and create more effective meetings.
Like Pizza Delivery – Meeting Should be 30 Minutes or Less
Meeting engagement plummets after the 30 minute mark (see the infographic below). Keep meetings short, focused and to the point. Look around at the team members, if you see glazed looks and Smart Phones out, it's time to end the show.
Lead the Meeting
As the team leader, your job is to facilitate the meeting. Keep it on time. Ask opinions of individuals who aren't as inclined to speak up. Gently guide those who like to talk a lot to not dominate the meeting. Calling a meeting makes you the leader and facilitator. Actually run the thing, don't sit back as it spirals out of control.
We've all being in HORRIBLE soul sucking meetings, what are your survival tips for ineffective meetings? Post your thoughts below!
Definitely agree with the need for a purpose and an agenda. Meetings for the sake of meetings are a boring productivity death trap!
Great article as always.
-Scott
When I’m in a meeting that seems to have no purpose, I tend to shut down and start thinking about my personal schedule. I try to at least use the time wisely even if it only benefits me.
Thanks for the great advice. I will be able to incorporate your ideas in the District Governor role!
[…] week, I wrote Meetings Blow but Yours Doesn’t Have to and it instantly rose to the top of my most viewed posts. Apparently, I’m not alone in my […]