Working remotely is a great idea. When you’re working remotely, the best way to communicate is by conducting online meetings. Everyone knows that meetings are essential, but everyone also agrees that meetings can be time-consuming. It’s important and more efficient at times to get people face to face to discuss pressing issues, projects, and plans. However, at times, ineffective meetings can lead to precious time wasted, causing people to be unable to finish their work. It’s one thing to learn how to conduct a business meeting your employees won’t hate, but it’s just as important to hold a meeting that is both efficient and effective.
We all know , to have a productive meeting, we need to start on time and stay on the right schedule. However, if you are not prepared for the meeting, it will be easy to get off-track and your meeting will not be as productive.
It is necessary to plan, organise, and coordinate with the rest of your team to have an effective meeting. It’s really important that you think about the purpose of the meeting, what you’re trying to achieve and who needs to be present.
Below are some of the best strategies in order to ensure that you have an effective meeting:
- Plan the meeting agenda carefully
It is necessary that you plan the structure of a meeting agenda thoughtfully. It is also essential to think about the topics that need to be covered, to achieve the goal of your meeting. Each item on the meeting agenda should contribute to the main topic or objective of the meeting.
- Curate the attendee list
Attending a meeting that you don’t understand and you can’t contribute to, can be so frustrating. Instead of joining a meeting that doesn’t require you, you can use that time to finish your to-do list. That being said, when creating your invite list for the meeting, only invite people who are directly involved in the project or discussion. That’s how you can have an effective meeting.
- Attach supporting documents to help others prepare
Providing the supporting documents for the team member before the meeting can help them paint the picture a little more clearly. This can help the team member to more easily understand the goal and the objective of the meeting, also it is easier for them to execute the ideas and plan what is discussed.
- Encourage an open discussion and record meeting notes and decisions
Meetings are held because the leader needs our input to make the best decisions and plans. Multiple viewpoints will be helpful in identifying chances for improvement, goal-settings, and implementing successful plans. During the meeting, don’t forget to write the minutes of the meeting and note down the concluding points of the meeting. This can be done by any of the team members to note down the points that are concluded in a meeting.
- End with clear action list and send a meeting recap
End the meeting by making sure the action list is clear and each team member knows their own tasks and responsibility. The leader can also help divide and assign the team members accordingly. Sending your team members a meeting recap, whether in the form of meeting notes, a summary, or any other type reminder, is beneficial not only for those who were unable to attend the meeting, but also for those who did attend as it verifies and reinforces the information and major decisions made.
That being said, it’s crucial to make the most of your and your team’s time! Hopefully by using these suggestions and tactics, you will be able to see your calendar and meeting agendas in a new light, allowing each meeting to run more effectively.
