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10 Steps to Making Your Staff Meetings Fun and Productive
Many studies have shown that according to people who attend meetings, the majority of meetings are considered to be a waste of time. This view is even more prevalent when regular staff meetings or review meetings are considered. However with some thought, and use of the techniques below, you can hold effective meetings that will meet your business objectives as well as energize and strengthen your team.
Use the top ten below to make your meetings more effective for everyone, while still having fun.
The Easiest Way to Improve Meetings
Maybe the meetings you call, or the meetings you attend, are okay. The agenda is clear, people stick to the topic pretty much, and you end on time. Congratulations! You already run better meetings than many others do.
But do people look forward to your meetings? Do they feel that the meetings are enjoyable and effective? You can improve your meetings significantly by doing one easy thing. In fact, it’s the easiest way to improve your meetings. Before the meeting, review the agenda. The agenda captures the content of your meeting…. what the meeting is about.
We Need a Meeting! Or Do We?
I recently started a blog on meeting management. To get input from businesspeople on what they would want to hear about, I posed a question:
Q: I’d like to know what YOU consider the biggest problems you encounter in business meetings?
The answers were both predictable and surprising. Here is one that is very basic and yet I hadn’t thought of it:
Want Greater ROI From Your Meetings? Six Questions That Will Make the Difference
First there’s the suffocating volume of e-mails. That’s complaint number one. But the next biggest gripe I hear from my clients is that they are spending way too much time in meetings.
Do any of these comments ring true about meetings where you work?
o Too long
Effective Meetings
Effective meetings can be a great springboard for brainstorming, information sharing, and creative ideas. When conducted properly, meetings are also a powerful management technique to boost productivity.
In some cases though, poorly conducted meetings can become a drain on time and resources, as well as become an activity that increases hostility, apathy, and stifles new ideas. Fortunately, there are ways to keep meetings from deteriorating in this manner, and to ensure that they are a positive experience for all.
Here’s how to conduct effective meetings: