How To Get More From Business Meetings

Organizations often rely on positive business meetings to continue moving forward, but the very idea of a business meeting is often met with groans. That’s because the majority of even the most well-planned meetings end up being a waste of time where very little is achieved. This means that workflow is interrupted needlessly, and time-waste is inevitable. However, the good news is that there are some proven ways to get more out of your meetings so that they become a fundamental part of daily management and the key to improving and growing your business model. If you want to turn your business meetings into an activity that matters, here are some tips you might not have considered.

Having Goals

It’s been proven again and again that having a goal makes it easier to get where you want to be. This is just as true for business meetings as it is for personal ambitions. Make sure that every meeting has a purpose and an achievable goal, and you will be more likely to spend your time in a meeting that isn’t a wasted opportunity to get things done. Don’t plan meetings just to ‘touch base.’

Have an Agenda

Your meetings, whether they are for whole departments or one-on-one, will be more productive if you have a clear plan of what needs to be discussed. This is where your goals become important. Remember to avoid trying to cram too much into your meeting, and have an agenda that breaks down who will be there, the expected outcome of the meeting, and a list of what you need to prepare beforehand.

Use Technology

The right tech in the right place can change the way that you run your business. For meetings, there is a wide range of tech solutions available that can help avoid wasted time and help you get more from your meetings. Look at Interactive Solutions that provide options for a more proactive scheduling system so that you always have the right meeting room booked, and a more state of the art meeting space that makes in-person meetings or videoconferences much more productive.

Keep it Short

If you’re planning business meetings that will go on for hours, then you’re usually just wasting time. The human attention span isn’t always going to be good enough to stay focused for too long, which is why short, concise meetings should be your priority. Try the 22-minute theory and you could find yourself getting more from your meetings than ever.

Participant Engagement

You will be wasting time and resources if you’re holding a business meeting where those at the table are not actively engaged in the conversation. There is more risk of this being a factor if there are more people in the meeting than unusual, so you need to ensure that you are using the right communication methods to encourage engagement. Avoid business jargon, and keep from handing out any relevant documents until the end of the meeting. Always provide contact details in case any questions arise after the meeting is over.

Business meetings have become something that are widely considered as a waste of time, and it’s easy to see why. However, if you take the time to get more serious about the value of your meetings, then you will quickly find that productivity soars and your goals are easier to achieve. Engage with your teams via proactive meetings and your business will only benefit.