10 tips to run an effective meeting

1 - Prepare an agenda (prioritized)

We need to highlight what we will discuss and on what topics we need to focus and share it will all participants.

Prioritized because when we run out of the time, we still did something important. The Biggest topics are already tackled and done.

2- Keep notes (minutes)

We need to remember important ideas that we discussed around the agenda topics.

After the meeting we will distribute that to all participants. Valuable for the communication on what we agreed on.

3- Begin on Time

Clear! If something is important for us and for our company and business, we need to be on time.

4- Set the rules and expectations (behavior, time box, ...)

If you allow the meting to be ope-ended, someone who likes talking will consume almost the time. You will miss inputs and perspectives from others.

5- Stay on the topic

Make sure you stay on the subject and topics, because not doing that will interrupt your focus, consume time and broke your concentration. In the end you realize that you haven’t really gotten anything done.

Interruptions kill productivity.

6- Encourage participation and fair debates

Be sure that all participants bring their ideas and perspectives regardless of their position, project or background.

Often good ideas are coming for the less-speaking participants.

7- One person speaks at a time

To listen to others clearly and to understand them correctly, we need to provide them the space to speak without interruption to them.

8- Draw a clear and concise conclusion

The goal of meetings is not to have a meeting. The goal is to think about a topic, to solve a problem, to share information, to decide on what to do and get things done. Meeting are to a tool to give us orientations and directions about what to do as actions afterwards.

9- Outline the next step

Next steps are the next actions we do to bring forward the topic or to solve the problem we discussed in the meeting.

10- Distribute notes shortly forward

Communicating what we agreed on is very important to get aligned on what we do as a team and company.

Listing what we decided, what we talked about and what we need to do will help us have the shared understanding and move together forward.