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7 Keys to Having Better Meetings

I am not a huge fan of meetings, but I find myself in them for much of my week. I always try to limit the number of meetings I have with our team so we can all spend more time working rather than talking about work. No matter how I feel about meetings, they are a needed tool for every organization. If we are going to have them, then every one better be productive and have the right people in them.

Here is what I am learning about having better meetings …

  1. Have a plan and goal for every meeting—it does not matter if it’s a large staff meeting or a face-to-face personal meeting, I try to have a plan and a goal for every meeting. If it’s an important meeting, then it’s worth having an actual plan. Lack of planning for meetings just fuels ineffective meetings!
  2. Start on time and end on time—time is so valuable so make sure you maximize it when you set a meeting.
  3. Get the right people in the room—this is so difficult as an organization grows. Not everyone needs to be in every meeting. Make sure you have the right voices in the right meetings.
  4. Make meetings places of collaboration and not information distribution—you can use email to get out information. In every meeting, create time for people to actually talk, and as the meeting leader, make sure and listen.
  5. End every meeting with clear next steps—always make sure after every meeting people know what is next and who is going to tackle what to ensure meeting momentum.
  6. Embrace conflict—it’s OK to debate and process as a team. Productive meetings will create conflict, so go with it and make sure you actually work through issues in the actual meeting!
  7. Make room to laugh and celebrate—seriously, calm down and have some fun!