6 Steps for a Productive, Stress-Free Meeting

Let’s be candid here: people hate meetings. It interferes with their work, and organizing them can turn into a veritable nightmare. However, it doesn’t need to be so; when done correctly, meetings could be just the thing to keep the firm up and running. But – how that can be done? Easy; just follow the six simple steps/tips presented below and you should do fine.

1. Not All Meetings Are Created Equal

When it comes to meetings, sadly, you have to be in the position of pick and choose; it is all too easy to be boggled down by meetings that can be simply resolved by e-mailing. Also, it isn’t all about you – if other people feel that the e-mail could have been a better solution, they will be less responsive to your meeting invites.

2. Place Your Goals on a Piece of Paper

There exists a serious danger of meetings becoming their own goal. Meetings serve an important purpose of granting an appearance of productivity. However, if that is all they do, they will quickly lose their charm. Writing out your goals is a good way of preventing your meetings from turning into a plain façade for a little company get-togethers.

3. Remember to Ask

Sadly, in our day and age, asking a question is increasingly seen by a form of weakness – but only by ourselves. Asking is useful for so many reasons: it removes any doubts we may have, it keeps the meeting going and the meeting presiders love to see that the audience is getting involved.

4. Write Things Down

As a saying goes: “Spoken words fly away, written words remain.” It is all too easy to forget what was said in the meeting, and if you really want to apply what you’ve heard, you’d better write things down. Also, taking notes serves the same useful purpose as asking questions – it shows that you’re actually involved in a meeting.

5. Be to the Point

Remember – if you don’t have anything useful to say, you’re better off not speaking. It may seem that you may get off the hook by empty talk, but it is something that people notice. Also, not being concise will make it more difficult for meeting attendees to get any real value out of the meeting, which defeats the purpose of actually holding one in the first place. A meeting should leave people energized, not think of it as a dull chore.

6. Plan What To Do Next

A meeting shouldn’t end when it actually ends. A meeting should have concrete results after the actual session is brought to finish. That is why everyone should have at least some clue what to do after the meeting is over. Remember: a meeting without concrete results is just a waste of time. Create hard, tangible steps your team can leave with. Don’t just leave with concepts — leave with actions and a timeline attached to them. That’s the only way to go.