4 Tips to Make the Most of Meetings

Meetings make up a large proportion of our time at work, yet studies show that we feel up to 50% of our time in meetings is wasted.

 A study by American Online and Salary.com found that the average American worker only actually works 3 days a week as the rest of the time is taken up in unproductive activities like inefficient meetings.

Meetings are supposed to allow us to benefit from our collective wisdom and experience, enabling us to accomplish things we couldn’t do on our own. However when people are not fully present in meetings we don’t get the best out of each other, we don’t make use of our creative potential and we waste a lot of time.

So here are 4 tips to make the most of meetings:

1.    Schedule only the time you need. When did we start letting all meetings be an hour or a multiple of an hour? Some things take only 10mins to discuss, others longer. Meetings tend to expand to fill the time allotted. If you finish the agenda early, then finish the meeting, no scope creep.

2.    Arrive with a clear mind. Mentally let go of the previous meeting, the work you have just been doing or the conversation you have just had. As you walk to the meeting room clear away the mental clutter by focusing your attention on your breath. Consider setting aside a few minutes at the beginning of the meeting for everyone to just pause, focus on the breath, and let go of mental clutter to start the meeting with a calm, clear mind.

3.    Actually attend the meeting. Really be there, not there in person whilst mentally distracted. If it’s worth being at the meeting physically then its worth being their mentally too. As soon as one person responds to an incoming message during the meeting everyone else’s mind starts to think about their messages coming in. People become distracted, meetings take longer and are less productive than meetings when everyone is focused. It only takes one person reaching for their phone or laptop to affect the focus of everyone else in the room.

4.    Finish the meeting 5 mins before the end. This gives people time to get to their next meeting, to make a couple of notes if needed and to pause, take a breath and let go of the mental clutter before their next meeting starts. If you didn’t get through the agenda then schedule another meeting or follow-up by email.

These simple tips can be applied to all the meetings you chair, but are even more effective when they become a team norm. When was the last time your team agreed on what the overt or covert rules are around your team meetings?

Rasmus Hougaard & Sarah Robertson, Potential Project