Mastering the Art of Meeting Planning with These 5 Tips

“That meeting was such a waste of time!”

“Did we even discuss what we were supposed to be meeting for?”

“Well, there goes my entire work day…”

Meeting planning is an art that has been underestimated by many corporations and teams, and often times attendees find themselves leaving feeling unproductive and unfulfilled. Even virtual meetings can leave attendees feeling like they have wasted their time, and they may even experience ‘Zoom burnout.’ There is so much that goes into planning a single meeting that surpasses the ‘logistics’ in terms of what will make it a success. Tiny details are required, such as the meeting focus, the technology used to present ideas, and the methods utilized to effectively solve the problem or encourage decision making. Not sure how to plan a meeting that will succeed? Here are your top 5 tips to mastering the art of meeting planning!

1 – Identify the Purpose of the Meeting 

If you can think back to a meeting where you thought “that could have been an email,” it was probably because the purpose of the meeting was lacking. There is nothing more frustrating than coming out of a meeting room wondering WHAT you actually talked about.

This can be solved by setting a plan of what you will accomplish and then designate someone to keep the meeting on track for that goal. If something comes up that needs addressing but doesn’t match the original meeting target, write it down and address it at the end or schedule it for another day. Use the following tips for identifying your meeting purpose:

• Do you need to make a decision by the end of the meeting?
• Is there a problem you need to solve right away?
• What is the problem that needs to be solved?
• When does the issue being addressed need to be solved by?
• Why does this topic take priority?
• Are there other time-sensitive projects happening that could overshadow the importance of this meeting?
• Does there need to be a meeting for this, or can it in fact be covered in an email
• (COVD Question: How could we have managed this topic pre-COVID? As a full meeting, an email, or quick call?)

By having your focus clearly defined, you can have it listed in front of you, so that should you stray off topic, you can be reminded of the true purpose of why you are gathered.

2 – Be Prepared… to Not Waste Time 

Before scheduling the meeting, take some time to thoroughly assess who, why, where, when, and what you require in order to host a successful meeting. You can even identify the types of topics that would easily deter you and waste time. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Is your meeting event going to be virtual or in-person?
• Which team members need to be involved in this meeting?
• What role could each person play in the meeting?
• How much time is needed to prepare?
• As group gathering sizes can increase, how is this meeting best suited to take place? In person, virtual, or on a call?
• Does anyone need to provide resources for this meeting to run smoothly?
• What pieces of information do you need to address the focus of your meeting?
• What technology do you need? Do you have some people in person and some online?

Deciding these factors ahead of time will prevent your meeting from going longer than expected and will also help you avoid obstacles such as technical difficulties, the collection of missing resources, and other troubleshooting situations that take up precious time.

3 – Find the Best Platform/Location

Whether you are having your meeting in-person or virtually, you need to find the best platform or location that will have everything you need to conduct your meeting successfully. This means considering where your audience is comfortable and ensuring that the location works for all of your attendees. Ask yourself: can everyone access the meeting location with ease? Are there any travel delays you should prepare for? If hosting a virtual meeting, are there time zone differences to keep in mind? 

Just as you need to look into whether a meeting room has an AV display and the capacity of the space, you also need to review the features of various types of virtual meeting platforms. Are you presenting information to a team or working in collaboration? Deciding that will also determine if a webinar set up or a meeting set up will work better for you. Decide if you need a chat room or the ability for anyone to share their screen.  Selecting the best virtual meeting options will make for smoother sailing once the meeting has begun.

4 – Change it Up

According to the Event Manager Blog, “39% of event professionals agree that ‘engaging attendees’ is the most crucial element of a live event.” Meaning that if you are planning the same format of meetings, the same PowerPoint presentation, and the same meeting room style for each meeting, you are probably not getting the level of success you could achieve with a new and more engaging format. Time to change things up! Adjusting to boost engagement can be as simple as changing the location of the meeting or trying new and innovative technology.

• Change the meeting facilitator each time
• Discuss with your co-workers how they might get more out of meetings
• Allow for moments of quiet thought collection so that people can process the information and come up with questions

Any opportunity to change the layout and style of a meeting to make it more engaging and interactive can drastically improve the attention span of your attendees, as well as appeal to those of various learning styles.

5 – Have an Actionable Ending

As you walk out of the meeting space, now is the time to assess, did you accomplish all that you needed to discuss? Was the meeting productive? Have you come to a conclusion? In addition to determining whether you have answered your problem/addressed the purpose of your meeting, it is good to have an actionable ending call out at the end of your meeting. Where do you go from here? Who should be working on the next task? How will you move forwards? Determining the next actions that should be taken will guarantee that your meeting was a stepping stone to accomplishing the next big thing.

Now that you know the tips to creating a meeting worthy of you and your attendee’s time, approach your meeting planning with renewed vigor! Take the time to master the art of meeting planning and get ready to see progress, engagement, and productivity happen.

Not sure you have all of the components or organizational skills to plan, host, and manage a meeting on your own? Reach out to our team at Details!! We have a team in place who can help you with all the small ‘details’ that will ensure you accomplish all that is required.