Maximising the value of meetings

Can you avoid unnecessary meetings?

How many times have you attended a meeting that didn’t seem to serve a purpose? A meeting where you didn’t need to be there? Or a meeting that was badly organised and just went on forever?

I’ve been to a few like that. Avoid wasting your time. Here are some ways to maximise the value of meetings.

Ask if you need to be there.

Do this in advance of the meeting. Why have you been invited? What will you be able to contribute? Is it essential that you attend the meeting or could you simply provide information in an email?

Some people may go on about encouraging face to face or at least verbal communication as opposed to email. But for very detailed information, especially technical documents, it can be a lot easier to provide the information in an email.

Get an agenda.

Every meeting should have an agenda. If not, there’s a risk that it will meander and take much longer than it needs to. An agenda is good because it clearly shows the subjects that will be discussed, and with timescales the chairperson can ensure that discussions stick to the schedule.

Prepare in advance.

Sometimes you won’t know exactly what will be said until the meeting starts. But it helps to have some idea. If you can prepare, the meeting will be that much easier. Otherwise, you’ll just end up saying “I’ll have to get back to you on that,” and half of the discussions become follow-up actions. By then, perhaps a meeting wasn’t even needed.

Bring a pen and some paper.

Always expect to write something down. It’s better to bring a pen and some paper and not write anything, than not bring them and wish you had.

Don’t overdo it.

Some people think it’s best to say something so you don’t appear to be “dead wood”. This is all very well if you have something to say, but saying something that doesn’t need to be said can be far more damaging than keeping quiet. Talking too much, especially if the discussion goes way off-topic, can be a very bad idea as it can make a meeting go on for a lot longer than it needs to. Stick to the subject at hand where possible.

Review your progress.

After the meeting, look back and see if you really did need to be involved, and whether the discussion could have been handled any differently. Give feedback to the chairperson if you have any suggestions for improving future meetings of a similar nature.

Those are my suggestions - do you have any tips for maximising the value of meetings? Can you remember your best and worst meetings? What made them so extreme?