Meetings are an important part of running a business. They allow you to discuss your company’s objectives, share progress and get everyone working towards the same goal. However, meetings can often be time-wasting and employees often begrudge meetings being part of their day. There are ways, however, to make your meetings more dynamic and productive for both you and your employees.
Choose Attendees Wisely
Deciding who it is necessary to invite and who should be left off the guest list is vital if you are going to relay the right information to the right people. If you are not selective enough, employees to whom the meeting is less relevant will start to struggle to stay interested, and will not have as many relevant ideas to contribute to the discussion. This can cause an unhealthy meeting environment. Additionally, you are less likely to stick to your agenda if you invite unnecessary departments, as they are likely to be interested in subjects that are less relevant to the topic of your meeting, and will have fewer ideas about the real topic of your meeting.
Keep Them Small
The larger the meeting is, the less likely that people will pay attention and contribute ideas, whether that is due to not being able to hear the speaker, or not wanting to speak in front of a large crowd. By having smaller meetings, not only will this encourage people to contribute ideas and opinions, but you will create a more collaborative environment where employees can work together to overcome issues and understand goals. It is much harder for the speaker to control a larger crowd too, and this can lead to distractions and disengagement.
Think About Your Workspace
It is important that your meeting is held in a quiet and collaborative environment. For instance, you should ensure that there is an excess of natural light inside the room, as this keeps employees alert and focused, and you should also think about your office seating plan – round tables allow for a more collaborative environment as everyone can see and hear each other better, and feel more apt to contribute to the discussion. You can find private office spaces at thebrew.co.uk, many of which have specialized meeting rooms and co-working spaces that can help your meetings to remain dynamic and engaging.
Keep it Short
Keeping meetings to a set time is an excellent way to engage employees and enable them to focus on the events at hand, rather than clock-watching. In fact, rather than having lengthy meetings, ensuring that your meeting is short improves productivity as people stay focused more easily for short lengths of time, such as 20 or 30 minute periods. If this is not possible, you should schedule in 20-minute breaks at least every half an hour as this will allow employees to recharge and de-stress.
With the right attitude and pre-planning, you can ensure that your meetings are as productive as possible, and a hub of ideas and discussion. Rather than trying to avoid meetings, with these methods, employees may even look forward to the collaboration and goal-setting that meetings could involve.
