When speaking with business owners who have staff or managers, I often ask whether they hold regular meetings with their team. Most of the time, they say yes, but admit that those meetings do not happen consistently because they have so much to do and feel they do not have the time to run them properly. Having a productive meeting scheduled regularly can significantly improve team communication and overall productivity.
They do, however, mention that they communicate with their staff daily. While having informal conversations as you pass through the office is valuable, there are often important elements missing. As a result, the desired outcome can take longer to achieve. In some cases, the problem is raised, but the details of why, how, when, and who are not properly addressed.
This is why formal meetings, where time is intentionally set aside to discuss key matters, are such an effective way to achieve results faster and support better productivity within the team.
Meetings can take different forms. Whether you are a business owner or a manager within a corporation, these types of meetings can be applied across many different businesses.
Types of Meetings that Support a Productive Meeting
There are 3 types of meetings:
1. Regular meetings to discuss general activities.
2. Meetings called to address an issue that needs immediate attention
3. Meetings related to projects currently being worked on.
A productive meeting is one where, when you walk out of the room, you can say, “We achieved a lot in a short period of time, and we are all clear on the next steps and the timeframes required to achieve the outcome.”
Some elements of a productive meeting will include the following:
1. Holding meetings regularly with your team [daily 5-10 minutes at the start of the day, weekly, fortnightly, monthly].
2. Having an agenda [what will be discussed in the meeting].
3. Setting a clear start and end time.
4. Inviting the right people, those who can provide insight into the topics being discussed and those with the authority to make decisions.
5. Sending any relevant documents in advance so attendees can review them before the meeting.
6. Having a chairperson to keep the discussion focused and aligned to the agenda.
7. Being clear on the purpose of the meeting and the outcome you want to achieve by the end of it
8. Minutes are taken outlining topics discussed, who will be responsible for any actions outside the meeting and when to have them completed by.
9. Setting the date for the next meeting before the current meeting ends
10. Sending the minutes to everyone who attended, as well as to anyone who was invited but unable to attend.
So, if you are not currently holding regular meetings with your staff, or if you are but they are not as structured as you would like them to be, start this week and set them up to create a more productive meeting structure that improves team productivity.
Decide how often these meetings need to happen. Consider the projects you need to begin, the issues you need resolved, and then schedule meetings with the appropriate people to ensure every productive meeting delivers clear outcomes.
EmpowerBeyond – Business Performance Solutions, focusing on people, process, products, and services and improving productivity and cash flow.