We've all been there. The sinking feeling when you get another email about management holding another meeting. It's more time spent away from being productive.
You're not even sure if this meeting is necessary. But that's the way things have been done, and that's how they always will be.
Except, it doesn't have to be that way. By learning a bit more when to hold meetings and their advantages, you and your teams can improve productivity.
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What Is the Purpose of a Meeting?
We can't have a proper discussion about this topic without talking about why they exist in the first place. No one would host them if all meetings were a waste of time. So, why do so many organizations find themselves holding meetings?
Where Meetings Succeed
There are many meeting advantages. Meetings can help coordinate teams and plans across organizations. Holding a single meeting can provide clarity that would take dozens of emails to find.
Meetings are also a great tool for brainstorming and developing new ideas. When you can gather everyone in one place, ideas, and feedback flow instantaneously. There's no need to wait hours or days to hear opinions on a proposal.
This instant feedback is also important for when a meeting topic is urgent. Some decisions are critical and need to be taken quickly. Getting the key stakeholders together let's everyone agree on a decision. It's part of why team meetings are so important.
Where Meetings Waste Time
Of course, not every meeting is so productive. There's a reason why 47% of respondents of a Salary.com survey said meetings are their biggest waste of time while working. Employees aren't the only ones bothered by meetings. A Harvard Business Review survey found that 71% of senior managers found meetings to be unproductive and inefficient.
These numbers are backed up by some of the reasons why meetings waste time. Nothing can break your flow in the middle of a workday better than a meeting. Too many meetings for people across an organization can limit overall productivity.
Personnel can also be a problem for meetings. A bloated invite list can cause people that aren't needed to be present, slowing things down for everyone. Too many leaders can also cause confusion for attendees. This is especially true if the leaders aren't on the same page about what topics should be prioritized in the meeting.
These ineffectual meetings also come at a huge cost: time. 24 billion hours are wasted on meetings every year, which results in a lot of lost time spent working. A poorly planned meeting results in a lot of wasted time.
When and How to Schedule Effective Meetings (7 Top Tips)
We've looked at some of the benefits of meetings, and also when they're a waste of time. So how can you attend and schedule productive meetings and skip hosting the ineffective ones? Your first step is to read through these tips and apply them to your workplace.
1. Decide Whether You Can Skip the Meeting
Don't send out those invites just yet! The importance of meeting in person or virtually should be considered first. You're not just inviting them for a casual chat. You're inviting them to stop what they're working on for up to an hour of their day.
Before you saddle them with the time commitment, ask yourself these questions:
- Is there a specific issue I want to talk about?
- Will my work be blocked without outside help?
- Does this conversation need to happen in real time?
- Is there really importance of meeting in person or over a video call?
If the answer to any of these questions is no, then you're not fitting the purpose of a meeting. It'll be best to skip it.
But if the answer is yes, then go ahead and move on to our next tip.
2. Figure Out What Type of Meeting Is Necessary
There are many different types of meetings available. But I'm going to share six of them that are highlighted in this Calendly blog post.
- Status update meetings: These meetings bring all meeting members up to date about the latest information for a project.
- Decision-making meetings: The purpose of a decision-making meeting is to have the group agree on a course of action.
- Problem-solving meetings: Holding a problem-solving meeting means you want to resolve a past issue. You can also use these to develop strategies to avoid future problems.
- Team-building meetings: Help your team members understand how each other works through team building.
- Info-sharing meetings: Share details about in-depth topics through presentations, training, or debates in info-sharing meetings.
- Innovation meetings: These meetings are creative sessions where teams can collaborate on creative, new ideas.
As you can see, these meeting types have different advantages. Figure out the importance of the meeting you want to hold and select one of these types for it.
3. Define Your Purpose
If you want to reap the benefits of meetings, you've got to do more than choose the type. Clearly define the goals of the meeting you're planning on holding.
As you define these goals, you should also lay out what you can do to achieve them in your meeting. Are you having trouble with setting goals and objectives? Maybe holding a meeting isn't necessary. Don't worry if this is the case, we'll look at meeting alternatives later on.
4. Create an Agenda
Not every meeting will be about a single topic. If you've got multiple points to discuss, create an agenda to stay organized.
An agenda is more than just a list of different topics. Your agenda should have some details about each topic. It'll also need an allocated time for each topic on the agenda. This keeps everyone focused and avoid the feeling that your meetings are a waste of time.
Is your meeting just a single topic? There are still advantages in making an agenda. While the time allotment won't be necessary, details about the topic will be. The focus should be on providing useful information for invitees.
5. Inform Invitees
Congrats, you've now set goals for your meeting and created an agenda! This is the time to start sending invites.
Be as selective as possible with your invites. Every participant should have a clear understanding of why they're present. They should also see the importance of their presence in the meeting.
Sending a calendar invite isn't enough. You should also share as much relevant information as possible so invitees can prepare before the meeting. This can mean sharing the agenda, links, or other materials you see are relevant. Doing this allows you to use all available time on achieving the meeting goals.
6. Enable Trackability
As with all goal setting, tracking is crucial. That's why it's important to choose a note taker for what's been discussed throughout the meeting. Having these notes to look back on helps your participants remember who is responsible for what tasks going forward. It's also helpful for anyone who missed the meeting.
You should also have a timekeeper in your meeting. Their job is to make sure time limits are met for agenda items, which helps the overall flow of the meeting. While sometimes topics may run longer, a timekeeper helps ensure all agenda items are touched upon before the meeting ends.
7. Set a High Bar for Meetings
If you feel that tips two through six were a lot of effort for hosting a meeting, they are! The importance of a meeting should not be understated. It's a request to pull people away from their desks and spare time from their workday to meet with you and others.
Raising the standard for when a meeting is required helps improve productivity. Your team can focus on what's really important throughout the day. They'll also start to view meetings as something that takes place when it's absolutely necessary.
Best Meeting Alternatives
Of course, that doesn't mean meetings are the only time you should communicate with your team. There are ways to keep the discussion going without holding a meeting that might be a waste of time. Let's look at some popular options.
1. Async Communication
Async, or asynchronous, communication is a popular way to connect with your team. It's a form of communication where people don't need to be available at the same time. Texting with a friend or colleague is a basic form of async communication.
This alternative isn't specific to any program, which gives you flexibility. If you won't see the benefits of meetings, go the async route. Just find a platform that your whole team uses and get started.
2. Google Chat
Does your organization use Google Workspace? Then Google Chat is one of the first places you should look to organize tasks for projects and more. You can reach out to team members one-on-one or in a group.
Google Chat also offers a slightly more sophisticated feature called Spaces. With Spaces, your chosen team can create multiple threads for different discussion points. And just like Google Chat, you can share files and documents.
3. FigJam
Figma is one of the most popular tools for interface design. But they also have a cool whiteboard tool called FigJam.
With FigJam, your teams can collaborate in real time or whenever they've got a moment. It's ideal for brainstorming, strategy, and diagramming. It also comes with helpful templates that can get you started.
4. Use Your Project Management Software
Odds are you use software like Trello, Jira, or Monday for your project management. When used well, the comment features of these programs can do the work of a meeting. Use them like threads so your whole team can have a log of what's been done and what still needs work.
Learn More About Holding a Meeting
Did you like learning about meeting advantages and how to hold productive ones? Then dive even deeper on the topic with these helpful articles from Envato Tuts+. Our instructors have insightful guides and tutorials to help you get all the benefits of holding a meeting.
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Unlimited Creative Assets for Business With Envato Elements
Whether you're hosting an internal meeting or pitching to a client, you'll need professional visual aids. You can save time on creating one from scratch by getting started with Envato Elements. It's an all-you-can-download platform packed with creative assets.
These assets are professionally made and cover a lot of styles and categories. Find and download as many PowerPoint templates, stock photos, and music tracks as you like. There are no limits or arbitrary caps. Everything is included in one simple subscription. You can sign up today and take advantage of Envato Elements.
Understand the Benefits of Meetings to Get the Most From Yours
There's no question as to why team meetings are important. But you can show your team the importance of meeting in person or online by hosting better ones. With the help of the tips found here, your team will be getting together with purpose and improve productivity.
When meetings aren't seen as a waste of time, your organization benefits. The next time you think about holding a meeting, keep this article in mind.
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