Are you tired of regular staff meetings that are just a waste of time and bring no results? The average employee spends almost 16% of their time in meetings that bring no value.
One of the strongest skills a leader can have is the ability to run effective staff meetings. The result of such a meeting can play a crucial role in further business development and growth.
If your goal is to run a staff meeting effectively, here are key tips to follow:
1. Optimize the Number of Meetings
“If you are not adding value to a meeting, walk out or drop off the call.” – Elon Musk
If running regular staff meetings is an integral part of your company strategy, it is time to think about optimizing it:
- Reduce the number of meetings by covering more related questions during one meeting. If there’s a way to avoid a meeting – avoid it!
- Involve people who can influence the topics discussed. It often happens that some participants of a meeting are just listeners and visit such meetings just to be updated on everything. As a result, people don’t work or add any value.
2. Plan Everything Beforehand
Make sure you are ready for a meeting. Create a plan and notify all the participants about the agenda. Prepare and print all the materials required. Bring a pen and paper in order to make notes.
3. Arrive 10 Minutes Earlier
Often, a meeting starts later than planned due to some organizational moments. You may need to prepare your laptop and open the necessary files. So it is better to arrive at least ten minutes earlier to start a meeting on time.
4. Outline the Purpose of the Meeting
To have a productive and effective meeting, it is better to stress its purpose. Some participants could miss your email with the agenda or have no time to look through it before the meeting.
5. Stay Focused
Any questions and comments during the meeting may confuse you and make the switch to another topic. As a leader, you should follow the plan and be focused on the agenda.
6. Engage People
Don’t be just a speaker. Make sure people understand you and the value of the information you give. Ask questions and engage with the team.
7. Do Not Interrupt
If you do not agree with something, first try to be a good listener. Do not interrupt. Make notes to remember your points, and share them after the speaker ends.
8. End the Meeting on Time
Remember that effective meetings shouldn’t take too much time. Focus on covering the main points within an hour and end everything on time.
9. Send a Meeting Summary
Once the meeting is over, send an email with its key points to the participants. Outline the questions that have been answered and problems that are open to discussion, and name the people who would be responsible for each solution.
Conclusion
As far as you can see, there is a way to have more effective results by running meetings. It is important to understand that meetings take time, and their value should contribute to company development.
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How Can You Run Staff Meetings?
If you have ideas you feel like sharing that might be helpful to readers, share them in the comments section below. Thanks!
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