Do you know how to conduct a productive meeting?

I’ve experienced many situations where professionals came out of a meeting exclaiming, “We almost decided something today.” Yes, unproductive meetings generate frustration and less and less adherence.

But, after all, what are the meetings for? As a manager, I need to meet to hear from those involved in decision-making

In the corporate world, at the speed at which we need to make decisions, we are no longer able to meet extensively, without productivity, dispersed, tiring and failing to decide what was actually to be decided.

Here, I leave some guidelines that I try to follow so that my meetings are productive:

Definition of agenda

Have a roadmap of what should be decided at the meeting, with the main points and do not deviate from this agenda. Close the meeting if you realize it won’t be productive. Don’t let you or your team leave the focus of the meeting.

Make clear the goal

 

Many professionals complain that they don’t even know why they had the meeting and what they’re doing there. An antidote to this is to make the purpose of the meeting clear so that everyone can be aligned from the outset.

Infrastructure

There are meetings that ask for participation of others who are not physically in the room, requiring videoconferencing, good quality internet. Make sure in advance that this is all working so as not to delay the start of the meeting. Not to mention the obvious, which is the reservation of the room with the secretary in advance.

Preparation

The best meeting is the one in which you invested more time preparing for it than the meeting itself. Be strict about your preparation and follow the reasoning of your peers, teams, leaders.

 

My methodology

In my case, I like to request readings from those involved or step in advance the agenda so that each one already brings a scenario of the possible decisions to be made. This speeds up the meeting, makes discussions more assertive and brings more focus to decisions and next directions.

 

Focus

Weather these days is an asset beyond scarce and needs to be taken advantage of in the best possible way. So quickly get the decision you need to make your meeting productive and not a waste of endless time. By getting assertive meeting you will have a better impact on your operations and finances.

 

Duration time

Depending on the company, a meeting lasting 30 to 45 minutes is enough. In my opinion, the less time locked in the room, the better. It is good to require that meetings be practical and the shorter the duration, the better for the organization. Determine start and end time and require punctuality so that everyone can be committed.

 

Conclusion

A productive meeting is one where you leave the room always with the decisions made, whether they are good or bad. It’s that feeling that today, yes, we decided, we moved forward, we saw that we’re all moving together towards the goals of the corporation.