Meetings are often not the favorite among team members. This isn’t the case at Universal Events, Inc., but we know that many people cannot see the benefit of meetings, and as a result feel it is time wasted. Collaboration is nearly impossible without meetings so they are necessary, but use the tips we practice every day in our meetings to keep them productive. 1. Set a Time Limit With a clear agenda, meetings do not have to one-hour long or even 30 minutes. Set them to last 15 minutes maximum. To show you are serious, use a timer. The psychological suggestion keeps the meeting on point with nothing missed. 2. Remove Chairs To really enforce that 15 minute time limit, make it a standing room only meeting. Not only will those who work under you get a break from sitting at their desks but standing actually leads to a stronger creative process. People also stay on topic to avoid physical discomfort. 3. Ban Electronic Devices No laptops, no phones. Handwritten notes support factual recall better than laptop notes. Arrange for meeting participants to check in their cell phones at the door, identifying its owner with a sticky note with a name on it. In productive meetings, there is no time to check email on phones anyway. 4. Limit Attendance Invite only needed parties to the meetings. Google found that more than 10 attendees slowed productivity, and so now, they no longer allow a meeting to have more people than that. The uninvited will feel grateful that they can continue to focus on their work. Meetings can be brief, engaging, and productive by using these four strategies. Give them a try today and see how team morale about meetings improves.
