26 Tips for Running Better Meetings
Before the meeting
1. Make sure that everybody is clear about when the meeting is taking place, who will be present, and what its purpose is. You could begin by stating, “At the end of this meeting, the aim is to have all the sections agreed for the website, assign responsibility for writing the copy and agree deadlines for completion.”
2. Decide on a finish time and stick to it. Make it somebody’s responsibility to point out the time 15 minutes, 10 minutes and 5 minutes before the meeting is due to end. Without this, it is easy for some meetings to overrun by at least 20%.
3. Who’s the chair? Every meeting needs a chair – somebody who is responsible for ensuring that the meeting runs smoothly. This person does not have to be the person who called the meeting, but they should understand clearly what the purpose is. It is their job to follow the agenda and make sure that the meeting stays on track.
4. Start out with an agenda. Ask for questions that people want to be covered at the meeting and allow them to add items to the agenda if relevant. This is particularly true for regular departmental meetings. Always include ‘Any Other Business’ towards the end, but not as a final point of the meeting.
5. Where are you going to meet? If possible, have the meeting in a central location for all the people concerned.
6. If it is likely to be a long meeting, plan in refreshment breaks and arrange for tea, coffee etc. to be brought in. At the very least, make sure that there is water on the table for people to drink at any meeting likely to last more than 30 minutes.
7. If any IT / audio equipment needs to be used at the meeting, make sure it’s working beforehand – not as you are about to make a crucial point. Technical hitches are embarrassing and can lead to a loss of credibility.
8. Before the meeting starts, make sure that everybody knows why they are there and what you hope to achieve. It is worth stating this before getting down to business.
9. Get the temperature right. Hot rooms make everybody sleepy and sluggish. Cold rooms make it difficult to concentrate. If you can, set a comfortable temperature in the room.
10. Ask yourself, is this meeting really necessary? If so, who needs to be at the meeting? Usually, the more people present, the more likely it is to drag on and achieve little. A meeting with 4 people or less is more likely to achieve tangible results.
11. Think about how the type of room you are meeting in reflects the structure. Sitting around a circular table suggests that everybody’s views are equally important. If somebody chairs the meeting from the top of a rectangular table, it will appear autocratic.
12. If the meeting is an important one that sets the agenda for the coming year, would it be better to hold it off the premises? This can create a totally different atmosphere, stop minor interruptions and create a sense of occasion. Not to be recommended very often, but for new policy meetings or reviews of a major project and vision meetings it is worth considering.
At the meeting
13. Start at the agreed time – even if it means some people miss the beginning of the meeting. If you get known for starting meetings at 10am, people will start turning up by 10am. If you tend to start the meetings at 10.15 because some people are usually late, then you actually discourage punctuality and encourage lateness.
14. Don’t allow drift. Have you ever been to a meeting that was meant to be about one subject but ended up being about an entirely different subject? This may be acceptable in a one to one situation, but at a meeting with 8 people present, it is a terrible waste of time if the new agenda is only relevant to 2 of those around the table.
15. Make it clear that if people do not state their objections or opinions at some point during the meeting, then they are effectively agreeing with what has been decided. Silence = assent.
16. Watch the clock. There is a rule that says the longer you allow for a task, the longer it will take. If you have a 3 hour meeting, that’s just how long it will take. Could it be done in 2 hours or even 1 hour?
17. Show appreciation for everybody’s contribution. People will be unwilling to contribute ideas freely if they feel that they are going to get shot down. Encourage contributions, encourage feedback and show appreciation for comments – particularly comments from people who do not usually contribute many ideas.
18. Allow time to listen. One of the best ways to solve a problem is to ask a question and then allow everybody at the meeting the opportunity to answer it individually without fear of interruption or correction. This is one of the quickest ways to solve any problem. It stops people being defensive and encourages honesty.
19. Guest speakers. It is worth considering inviting guests to the meeting. If you are introducing a new idea to your company, is it worth having a speaker from a company where this idea has already been introduced? Could you have an expert on marketing, sales, change management or whatever to bring a new perspective to the meeting? It can add a real edge to monthly meetings when the right person comes along.
20. Create time for thinking or brainstorming during the meeting. Often, when you are given 2 minutes to think, ideas will flow. Gaps allow the ideas to come forward.
21. Are you in the meeting? Make a rule that mobile phones are turned off and that any outside distractions are left outside the room. If one person is on the phone for 5 minutes, then that is 5 wasted minutes multiplied by all the people in the room.
22. If you don’t make notes on what was discussed and what should happen as a result of the meeting, it’s not been a meeting at all – just a pleasant chat.
23. Can the points be made visually? People are more likely to remember a point if they are told and shown it. Even if it is just on a flip chart, the point should be made more clearly.
To conclude the meeting
24. Action points. If action points were agreed at the end of the meeting, make sure that everybody is clear on who does what. It might even be worth going around individuals asking what they need to do next and when it will be completed by.
After the meeting
25. The agreed action points need to be circulated. This acts as a reminder and as a way of stopping any confusion as to who is due to do what.
26. Celebrate success. If the meetings have helped to achieve progress in a project or have sorted out problems between departments, thank everybody by phone or e-mail. Meetings don’t need to be time wasting activities. They should and can be very productive and important activities.
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