5 Secrets for a Successful Meeting
You should not hold a meeting without a clear purpose and process. For a meeting to be successful, there must be set goals, clear agenda, and a proposed outcome..
If there is no clear plan, the meeting will become something different from the expected. For instance, you will find that some people will dominate the discussion and even lead to irrelevant tangents. Others will make snarky and distracting comments, while others will not feel part of the group and remain silent throughout the meeting. Thankfully, there are looks like Sessions can help you plan well-structured board meetings that are productive to achieve the intended objectives.
5 Secrets for a Successful Meeting
Regardless of technological capabilities, time-based resources, or industry, there are some consistent strategies that will help your meetings become more successful, in regards to effectiveness.
1. Create Agendas for the Meeting in Advance
An agenda serves as a road map since it keeps you on track. It helps all participants to know what the meeting is about and prepare for discussions. You should create and distribute the meeting’s agendas before the specified time. The best time is the day before the meeting. Every agenda has its title, allocated time, process, purpose, and focus.
2. Assign a Lead/Owner of the Meeting
Every meeting should have a leader who will give directions to make sure people stay focused. The leader will ensure that the meeting is conducted in a conducive environment and clearly outline the topics that will be discussed. The leader should bring people back to the agenda if they have gone off track. If a particular issue has been raised in the AOB (Any Other Business) and it’s not possible to discuss it at the moment, the leader can decide to handle the issue in the next meeting.
3. Assign an Assistant/Note-Taker
Ensure you have a note-taker before the meeting starts. The individual will write down the occurrence of the meeting, such as critical points and comments. The note-taker should also point out that a particular question has not been answered for notes clarity. The final notes need to be produced to the rest of the group within two weeks after the meeting.
4. Stick to Your Time Constraints
It is essential to start a meeting and end it at the specified time. Failure to keep time can discourage invitees and other participants from showing up on time and participating fully. For instance, people can decide to join you an hour later because they know you will extend the meeting by an hour. Ensure you allocate enough time for each agenda. If an agenda has many issues, break it into two or three parts to avoid monopolizing it.
5. Summarize and Clarify
Never end up the meeting without saying how to act on each agenda. The meeting group needs to know what action steps are due. Assign various individuals the role and due dates to follow up on action items. By doing so, you show the participants you value their time and inputs.
Effective Meeting Skills for 2022 and Beyond
In your professional life, meetings are unavoidable since they play a vital role in the company’s development. Having practical meeting skills will ensure you achieve the targeted goals. The following are some of the effective meeting skills that you can apply for higher productivity:
Time Management Skills
Proper time management is an essential skill that meeting managers should possess. Don’t delay the meeting. It’s unfair to people who showed up on time. Ensure you start at the scheduled time, and let the late comers catch with you later. Make sure you give each agenda enough time to be discussed. Besides, allow adequate time for team involvement as they try to come up with solutions. Ensure you give all participants equal time to speak.
Decision-Making Skills
The meeting manager should have the ability to make decisions quickly. A meeting is specially planned to identify and solve problems. Attendees will come up with better and innovative solutions than the leader alone. They will also support the implementations of these solutions since they played a role in creating them.
Proper Planning Skills
Every meeting requires proper planning. Carefully select the meeting time and ensure everyone is notified and everything is set. Tools like Sessions can help you organize complex gatherings and even your consultancy sessions.
Note-Taking Skills
Decide who will take the meeting minutes. The person should have precise attention to detail and faster. Ensure you give him/her adequate time to write each point correctly.
Listening Skills
Active listening enables you and the people speaking to have a thoughtful understanding. You can nod to depict your understanding at a particular point. You can also ask questions for better clarification of what you are uncertain about.
Consensus-Building Skills
People have different opinions and ideas. Allow everybody to share their thoughts and reach a consensus, where they agree to support other members’ perspectives even if it was not theirs.
Conflict Resolution Skills
Where more than two persons meet, conflicts are inevitable. The team manager should have ideal conflict solving skills to harness all the issues positively.
Non-Verbal Communication Skills
Over 50% of communication in a meeting is non-verbal. The meeting leader should be able to read the participants’ body language and assess their commitment and assessment level. If the body language tells you that the team is tired, you can give a short break for refreshment purposes.
Importance of Having a Successful Meeting
Meetings are essential in every organization if conducted well. They are a better way for employers and employees to exchange ideas, gather information, and learn from one another. Effective meetings are inclusive, productive, and collaborative. Here are reasons why successful meetings are essential:
- Builds Strong Relationships-Personal interaction can help build teamwork. A strong bond is established within the team with a free exchange of thoughts and ideas, leading to increased productivity.
- Makes Better Decisions-An effective meeting allows brainstorming to offer solutions to various problems. Gathering different opinions from different participants enables team managers to make better decisions.
- Resolves Conflicts-Specific problems may arise within the team, which may negatively affect the way employees perform their work. Well-managed meetings can help resolves all these issues and provide a long-lasting solution to prevent a similar occurrence in the future.
- Boost Inclusion-Successful meetings help to boost inclusion because all participants can freely express their ideas. Organizational culture is the crucial thing since employees know their inputs are heard and will be implemented.
- Save Time and Money-Effective meetings allow quick decision-making because employees are engaged. This means that no frequent meetings will take place, reducing direct and indirect costs as well as saving time.
Conclusion
Conducting successful and effective meetings helps to attain the set goals efficiently. Ensure you have clear objectives before you start your meeting by using a collaboration and communication platform such as Sessions. Prepare and circulate the meeting’s agenda a day prior to the D-day. In addition, allow team participation where every attendee is given equal opportunity to speak. Ensure you are on track by keeping the meeting short and stay on focus.
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Diana Nadim
Diana Nadim is a guest writer for Millennial Moderator.
