What are the most effective meeting norms for team success?

1 Define the purpose and agenda

Before you schedule or join any meeting, you should have a clear idea of what the purpose and agenda of the meeting are. The purpose is the main goal or outcome that you want to achieve from the meeting, such as making a decision, solving a problem, or sharing information. The agenda is the list of topics or items that you want to cover in the meeting, along with the time allocated for each one. Having a clear purpose and agenda can help you avoid unnecessary or irrelevant meetings, focus on the most important issues, and manage the meeting time effectively.

2 Invite the right people

Another key meeting norm is to invite only the people who are essential for the meeting purpose and agenda. Inviting too many or too few people can lead to inefficiency, confusion, or exclusion. To determine who to invite, you should consider who has the relevant information, expertise, or authority to contribute to the meeting, who needs to be informed or consulted about the meeting outcomes, and who can help you achieve the meeting goals. You should also communicate the purpose and agenda of the meeting to the invitees in advance, so they can prepare and decide whether they need to attend or not.

4 Encourage participation and feedback

Another effective meeting norm is to encourage participation and feedback from your team members. Participation means that your team members actively contribute to the meeting by sharing their ideas, opinions, questions, or concerns. Feedback means that your team members give and receive constructive and respectful comments, suggestions, or criticisms about the meeting topics or outcomes. Encouraging participation and feedback can help you create a more collaborative and inclusive meeting culture, where your team members feel valued, engaged, and motivated. To encourage participation and feedback, you should use various methods, such as asking open-ended questions, using polls or surveys, soliciting feedback after the meeting, or using online tools or platforms.

5 Assign roles and responsibilities

Another way to improve your meeting effectiveness is to assign roles and responsibilities to your team members. Roles are the functions or tasks that your team members perform during the meeting, such as facilitator, note-taker, timekeeper, or presenter. Responsibilities are the actions or deliverables that your team members are expected to complete before, during, or after the meeting, such as preparing materials, following up on action items, or reporting results. Assigning roles and responsibilities can help you distribute the workload, increase the accountability, and enhance the collaboration of your team members. To assign roles and responsibilities, you should consider the skills, interests, and availability of your team members, and communicate them clearly and timely.