Meetings.
Love ‘em, hate ‘em, or neutral about ‘em, everybody has them . . . and has their complaints about them. These are the ones we hear most often:
- Meetings hardly ever start on time.
- People are invited to meetings, even though they’re not necessary to the discussion or the next steps.
- People show up not knowing what the meeting is about.
- People don’t contribute to discussion as much as they should.
- People easily lose focus and get off track.
- Meetings could have been boiled down to an email.
So, how can you get more bang for your buck in meetings? We’ve got a few tips:
Preparation is key. If you’re the owner of the meeting, show up prepared! Send out ahead of time any documents attendees need to review and a meeting agenda so attendees know what to expect. If you’re attending, read what the meeting organizer sends out!
Optimism will get you nowhere. People have short attention spans and can easily get off track (especially if they’re in a meeting with their best friend at work). Know that and conform to that, rather than thinking your meeting will be the one exception. Don’t schedule a meeting for 90 minutes if you’ve only got 60 minutes’ worth of talking points.
Organization leads to success. Whether you’re the meeting organizer or an attendee, keeping detailed notes and a to-do list to prioritize tasks is important. You’ll need to be able to recall the topics discussed and what tasks were assigned to you (if any) so you can be effective in executing them.
A free download is always a good thing. Today is your lucky day, because we’re here to help make your meetings more effective! Click the button below to download our FREE Meeting Notes sheet, which has space for the meeting name, topics discussed, tasks assigned, and any other notes. It’s just what you need to keep your meetings organized and on track. Trust us.
Bonus tip: Use the Meeting Notes sheet as a guide for sending out your follow-up email with the meeting recap!
Happy meeting!
