A report by Harvard Business Review showed that more than 70% of the senior managers surveyed said most meetings are inefficient and unproductive. Among the top reasons were they keep managers from finishing their work, take away time for deep thinking, and result in lost opportunities to unite the team.
A study conducted by Beenote showed that 80% of the employees surveyed had problems in at least one stage of the meeting lifecycle. A lack of minute-keeping, participant preparation, team communication, follow-up tasks, and finishing on time made most meetings unproductive.
As a result, reducing the amount of time spent in meetings can increase employee satisfaction and productivity. You can use these tips to get started.
Follow these guidelines to increase productivity during meetings.
Limit the Number of Participants
Keep your meetings between seven and nine participants. Smaller numbers promote greater participation than larger numbers.
Invite only the necessary employees to participate. Smaller groups can make faster decisions and accomplish more than larger groups.
Advance the Agenda
Send participants an agenda well before the meeting. Include the meeting goal and anticipated outcomes.
Limit the number of discussion topics. This helps the meeting stay on schedule and finish on time.
Begin on Time
Start the meeting at the designated time. Avoid recapping the discussion for latecomers. Do not let them in 15 minutes past the start time.
Beginning on time enforces the habit of employees showing up on time. This helps keep the meeting on track and within the timeframe.
Designate Action Items
Write down specific follow-up tasks according to the decisions made during the meeting. Include which employee is responsible for each task and what the deadline is.
These action items help prepare employees for the next meeting. They can more effectively report on their progress and results.
Enforce Time Limits
Keep each meeting at one hour or less. End the meeting on time, even if items are left on the agenda.
Enforcing meeting time limits lets employees more effectively plan their work day. It also encourages meeting planners to include only the necessary discussion topics.
Send Follow-Up Information
Let employees know whether you will send additional details about the topics discussed during the meeting. This encourages employees to participate more in the discussion and take fewer notes.
Ensure you send the information so employees can review it. This reinforces the discussion topics from the meeting.
Need to Hire HR Professionals?
Limiting the number of participants, advancing the agenda, and starting on time increase the productivity of meetings. Designating action items, finishing on time, and sending follow-up information increase the likelihood of implementing the decisions made during the meeting.
If you need to add HR professionals to your team, involve Arlington Resources in your hiring process. Find out more today.
