How To Shorten Conference Meetings and Get Back To Work

Meetings were already taking up way too many hours a day when we were actually going to the office. In the age of Zoom Calls and WebEx meetings, it has become even more difficult to get any prolonged desk time. Yesterday, I spent 4 hours on Zoom calls for work and then another 2 hours on conference calls. Sheesh!

While we all are waiting for John to join, and Susan to text everyone a reminder that the call has started, Marcus is thinking of all of the work he could be doing were it not for yet another meeting that could have been an email.

These meetings take up a lot of your workday and it is important to make sure the time you invest is well spent. Learn how to end a meeting in a way that delivers the results you are looking for.

1. Ending Meetings on Time. Measuring success is easy when it comes to meetings. Did you achieve your objective and did the meeting end on time? If you are running the meeting, your colleagues are depending on you to get to what is important and let them get back to work.

Develop a reputation for running tight meetings.

1. Limit the participants. Shorten your invitation list to include only those people who really need to be there. The conversation will likely be briefer, and attendees may feel more accountable if it is impossible to become lost in the crowd.
2. Prepare an agenda. Put together an agenda and circulate prior to the meeting that lets participants know what to expect. Welcome questions and comments that can resolve issues immediately.
3. Send reading materials in advance. Ask attendees to come to the meeting having fully read the materials instead of holding up the meeting while they browse through their handouts. As a bonus, they will probably pay more attention and have more valuable insight or questions.
4. Limit the start time grace period. If the meeting starts at 9, start the meeting no later than 9:03. 3 minutes is plenty of time for people who just realized it was 9 to look for the meeting details and hop on. If you have a reputation of starting on time, people will begin to respect it.
5. Assign someone to take notes. Having a notetaker allows you to keep the meeting moving. If someone misses part of the call, you can remind all participants that notes will be sent out after the meeting.

Avoid the temptation to restart the meeting and recap everything that has happened for late entrants. This will only extend the length of the meeting. The goal is to get the information out and get back to actual work.

1. Perform a time check. Appoint one employee to monitor the allotted time for each topic. Adjust the schedule, if necessary, rather than rushing at the end or leaving unfinished business.
2. Express appreciation. Finishing on time is a group effort. Thank each participant for contributing.

I hope I was able to help you think through how you will make your next meeting a success. I would love to hear your tricks and tips. Also, let me know if there is another topic you'd like me to discuss in an upcoming article. I am always here to help you become more successful in your life and work.