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5 Simple Strategies to Organise Successful Business Meetings
By Leola Small, Cliftons Marketing and Inside Sales Manager
Think about it. How many productive meetings do you actually have? Often poorly prepared, business meetings have developed a reputation for being ineffective, daunting and even a waste of time. However, when meetings are thought-through beforehand, they can become an undeniably powerful tool to broadcast important messages or solve business problems.
Follow these five essential strategies to make your next business meeting relevant, engaging and efficient:
1. Is this meeting really necessary?
Let’s start with a shocking fact: 47% consider meetings the biggest waste of time. Before you hop onto Outlook to create that new calendar invite, it is important to set a clear objective for your meeting. Do you have all the information required to be effective? Would you be better off postponing it? Can you see any other viable option that would help you reach your objective? If you answered yes to any of these questions, it might be wise to hold off until you identify a few good reasons for the meeting to happen.
Key Takeaway: Consider the usefulness and necessity of your meeting.
2. Humans have shorter attention spans than goldfish
Technology has not only shrunk the dimensions of time and space but has also drastically reduced our attention span.
Research shows that our mobile driven lifestyles may have made it as short as 8 seconds! The remedy? Say no to long, text heavy PowerPoint presentations and use compelling visuals instead. Illustrating your arguments in just a few words is the best way to communicate your ideas in an effective manner. And do not hesitate to use a subtle sense of humour to recapture the attention of your meeting attendees if you feel their attention is literally “sleeping” away.
Key Takeaway: Keep your people engaged with a short & sharp communication style.
3. Ready. Set. Meet!
Be on time, start on time and do not wait for late comers. The worst thing that could happen is that you do not get enough time to offer a conclusion to your meeting attendees. When time comes to wrap it up, make sure you communicate the meeting’s value by restating achievements, and provide an action list for the future. Of course, let’s not forget to thank people for their time and contribution to finish on a positive note!
Key Takeaway: Never end a meeting without a conclusion.
4. Avoid Friday afternoons at all costs
You might think that Friday afternoon is a good time for your next meeting as people are usually more casual and relaxed.
But wait until Monday to realise the weekend has done its magic and no one is able to remember a thing about that great idea of yours. According to a Barco survey, almost 40% of business leaders responded that Tuesday meetings were the most effective while only 3% answered that Friday worked out well for them.
Key Takeaway: Always consider time and day when setting your meeting schedule.
5. Be a doodling evangelist
Ensuring the meeting minutes are communicated within 24 hours of your get together is a definite best practise to keep top of mind. But did you know that handing your attendees a blank sheet of paper and a pen might actually be as good? In fact, doodling during meetings and presentations can help put our minds at ease, focus on the subject at hand and retain information more effectively. Psychologists even argue that doodling should be encouraged as it works as a concentration booster and impedes our minds to wander away. So don’t frown next time you see someone drawing shapes, images and letters, they might actually be focusing harder.
Key Takeaway: Think outside the box and try out some creative meeting techniques to bring back the interest and enthusiasm within your team.