Too many work meetings aren’t just a waste of valuable time. They’re also (really) bad for our motivation. Research shows that excessive unproductive meetings leave employees feeling drained and disengaged.
And let’s face it, they’re super boring. Even worse, they can be super annoying, especially when you’ve got a never-ending to-do list of things that will actually impact the business.
So what can we do to scale back those useless meetings and make our limited time more productive?
It starts with a simple question: do we need this meeting?
And to help you (or your boss) find the right answer, businessfinancing.co.uk created a helpful flowchart to determine if that extra Wednesday afternoon huddle is really necessary.
It outlines several essential questions that not enough people ask before booking out the boardroom (again), including:
- Do you have a good reason to bring everyone together?
- Do you have some critical information to share that can’t be sent out by email?
- Is there a specific person who needs to be there?
But that’s not all.
Businessfinancing also designed a guide to making the work meetings you need to have more productive.
The tips include setting a clear agenda and planning for the meeting beforehand. You’d be surprised by how many people freestyle it!
There’s advice on establishing some meeting guidelines and etiquette. It might sound a little OTT. After all, everyone on your team is an adult. Allegedly.
However, ground rules are a great way to keep that meeting on track. And it prevents unnecessary distractions, especially during remote catch-ups. Rule number one: no cats or dogs should be in the room during work calls. ‘Cuteness’ is not an excuse.
And there’s a section on the art of delegation. It explains why you don’t need to be at every meeting and how to pick the right person to run it for you.
Do You Really Need to Hold that Meeting?, courtesy of BusinessFinancing.co.uk
