Having focused and productive meetings feels great.
However, not all meetings are productive. Some can be exactly the opposite.
So here are a few have to help you and your team have productive meetings, more often than not.
1. Keep it Short
Meetings have the tendency to get off track or trail on into unproductive territory if you keep things going for too long.
Keep meetings to 18 minutes or less.
If there is a time limit placed on the meeting, people are more likely to stay on track and give the meeting their full attention.
There’s a reason why TED talks are often kept to 18 minutes. Beyond that and people start zoning out.
2. Use a Timer
This one’s just common sense. No point setting a time limit if you don’t stick to it.
It can be easy to go over time if you don’t have something to keep you accountable and on schedule.
Setting up a timer, and someone to be accountable for paying attention to it, will help you stay on schedule.
3. Stand Up
Sitting is unhealthy and standing during your day is good for health.
However, beyond the health benefits, standing-up during meetings makes people more creative, productive, open/receptive and team oriented, according to a study at the Business School of University of Washington.
Since the meeting will be a short 18-minutes, you will have the ability to do so without wearing people out.
You can also consider a walking meeting, which can be quite productive and creative, as per research at Stanford University.
4. Cut Out Laptops & Cell Phones
Everyone knows that a meeting can useless unless someone is taking notes to keep everyone aware of what happened.
Additionally, requiring note taking is a great way to make sure staff is actively participating with the meeting.
However, how your employees take notes is important.
Most people will use laptops during meetings; however, the potential for distraction is maximized on these devices and conceptual understanding of participants is lower. This is as per a study at the University of California and Princeton University.
So try going back to the old way of taking notes, with a pencil and notepad.
Speaking of technology, cell phones are another way that meetings can become unfocused.
Having a box to check cellphones in before a meeting, can be a great way to keep people from being distracted, or being interrupted during the meeting. 18 minutes is short enough of a time for most tasks to wait it out.
You also want to keep in mind, that according to research by USC’s Marshall School of Business, your boss and colleagues are annoyed every time you use a cell phone during meetings.
5. Don’t Overbook
Meetings are important for keeping people involved/aware of progress and obstacles.
However, having too many people a meeting can be difficult to handle and unproductive.
In a study outlined in the book 5 Steps to Breakthrough Performance in Your Organization, it was found that the ideal number of people, especially in decision-making meetings should be 7. Any additional attendee in the meeting will reduce effectiveness by 10%. More than 17 people will most likely result in no decision at all.
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