5 Easy Tips for More Productive Meetings

by Bryan Nadeau

How many meetings are you in every day of the work week? How many are run efficiently? 28% of employees are very often or always feeling burned out and exhausted. Endless meetings are one of the reasons why. 

Reducing the number of meetings is one way of improving employee burnout and workload. Another is to use these 5 easy tips for more productive meetings. 

1. Look at the reason for the meeting. Does this issue or concern or information sharing really require a meeting? Be intentional. Make sure that you are having a meeting for the right reasons and not having a meeting for the sake of having a meeting. Even if the meeting isn’t yours, ask for clarity before accepting. 
2. Don’t have an agenda. Instead ask questions that will need to be answered by the end of the meeting. Use those questions to outline the purpose of the meeting, with clear goals and outcomes, and lastly next steps.
3. Invite the right people. Only invite the people that will help you answer those questions, provide clear next steps, and move the process forward to a resolution. 
4. Facilitate the meeting. Make sure everyone is heard, provide space for discussion, clarity of roles, and next steps. Don’t be heavy-handed, the people you invited will help you come up with a resolution. 
5. Be intentional about time. When your meeting isn’t focused, it allows people to start wondering in their minds, lose focus, and the ultimate “I’m bored.” When there is a limited amount of time, it helps the people attending to remain focused and engaged in working together to come up with strategy and next steps. 

Putting in the work ahead of a meeting is just as critical as the meeting. It makes it easier for you and your colleagues. Don’t forget to review your standing meetings every so often to confirm they really need to happen. If not, cancel them. Using these 5 easy tips for more productive meetings allows you as a manager, or attendee of meetings to reduce feeling burned out, while having a feeling of accomplishment.