HOLDING SHORT BUT EFFECTIVE MEETINGS

                                       

The business of the meeting is the bane of our professional lives. According to a recent survey, managers spend an average of 35-50 % of their time in meetings- some of which extend into weekends. This is a lot, all things considered. One might be compelled to ask, wouldn't it be better to get rid of meetings entirely? Quite unlikely due to to the following reasons:
- Provide Information
- Decision making
-To review/measure progress

However, in order to ensure the foregoing reasons are met, it is important that we save time by holding short meetings that would not bore people to death, stifle initiative or even confuse staff further instead of providing them clearer information.
Thus, the following tips should be considered useful in holding short and effective meetings:

1. Do you really need to have a meeting: As the convener, ensure you have reflected and reviewed all possible options and reasons needed to call for a meeting as other options such as a group email or skype business group chat may hold a simpler motive

2. Make the agenda clear: Itemize and circularize all intended topics and motives, so that all interested parties can prepare.

3. Keep the meeting small: The convener(s) must decide which principal parties should be present at the meeting. According to a  Harvard Busines Review, bigger meetings tend to be less effective. Smaller meetings are also cost-effective as less amount of money is spent on entertainment, transportation and other costs incidents.

4. Project meeting notes on a screen: Projectors help speakers make their points more effectively and carry the entire room along. Pictorial notes and itemized lines enhance quicker understanding and consequently shorter time will be spent in the meeting room.

5. End by assigning action items: Allocating tasks or action items at the end of concise meetings, make up for all time spent and in turn aids project delivery in quicker time as it also attaches responsibility to each person thereby making deliverables easy to track.

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