The Simple Thing That Can Totally Transform Time-Suck Meetings
You probably spend
nearly half your workweek in meetings, and most of them have no agenda. Here's
seven steps to make them less painful.
Meetings are like burpees: They drain your energy and nobody likes
them. About 40% of the average
workweek is spent in meetings, and more than half of participants would rather be waiting in
line at the DMV or watching paint dry, according to a poll by software company Clarizen.
Part of the problem is that meetings aren’t properly planned. In
fact, 67% are held without an agenda, according to a Microsoft study on
productivity. But an agenda is essential for holding an effective meeting, says
Michael Fritsch, president of the management-consulting firm Confoe.
"Agendas set
expectations and provide participants with the needed guidance to
prepare," he says. "A good agenda will help you enforce good meeting
practices."
The minutes you spend
writing an agenda can save you hours wasted in ineffective meetings. Here are
seven things to know about creating and using an agenda.
First and foremost, identify your objective, says Neal Hartman,
management senior lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of
Management. "Be critical
about paring your agenda," he says. "List key items that need
discussion, a vote, or whatever other action is appropriate."
Too often, people have a
tendency to invite too many people for fear of leaving someone out, but a good
agenda makes it clear who should attend and who should not, says Fritsch.
The agenda might also
identify people outside your department that should be included, adds Hartman.
"Based on what you want to accomplish, you’ll know if you need a
combination of expertise to accomplish the agenda items, and if there are
discussions or decisions that need certain people," he says.
Having a limited amount
of time will help you stay on topic and prepare, says Hartman. "This can
be useful for avoiding going off on tangents," he says. "It also
helps frame how much time is available, and how much detail is needed for each
topic."
But don’t use these time
windows to make the meeting complicated. While it can be tempting to ask
certain people to attend the meeting only during agenda items that are relevant
to them, Hartman says it can be disruptive to have people going in and out. "That
can lead to wasted time during meetings, and it goes back to really thinking
about what you want to accomplish," he says. "Make sure issues have
relevance to everyone in the meeting. If there is a topic that only involves a
couple people, have a different meeting."
They can quickly become
outdated or irrelevant, says Fritsch.
"Take the time to
really think through the agenda for every meeting, even regularly scheduled
ones," he says.
This is critical, says
Hartman. "If you send out the agenda 15 minutes before a meeting, it’s
fairly useless," he says. "Half the people aren’t going to see it.
You also have to be careful not to send it too far in advance where it can get
lost in the flood of everything."
Instead, give people
enough time to prepare, but not too much time, such as a day or two.
Designate someone to be
the timekeeper. If you’ve allowed 15 minutes for the first item and you aren’t
finished discussing the item, vote on whether you want to give it five more
minutes, suggests Hartman.
"You don’t have to
be absolutely rigid," he says. "But if an item isn’t resolved, you
can decide to move on and address it at a later time."
A good agenda can
provide an outline for minutes and action items. Formal meetings will have
minutes that are approved, but for routine meetings, Harman says a follow-up
agenda is extremely helpful.
"Follow-up agendas
put thoughts into writing and eliminate misunderstandings or errors," he
says. "It can be fascinating to go to a meeting, and in your mind you
understand what’s been decided, while someone else at the same meeting has a
different idea. Within a 24-hour period, verify what has been agreed during the
meeting, and identify who is responsible for tasks designated during the
meeting.
STEPHANIE VOZZA
http://www.fastcompany.com/3057361/how-to-be-a-success-at-everything/the-simple-thing-that-can-totally-transform-time-suck-meet?utm_source=mailchimp&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=fast-company-daily-newsletter&position=4&partner=newsletter&campaign_date=03042016
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