12 Tips for Better Meetings

Most people don’t like meetings at work. Maybe they dread leading them, or they hate attending them. And that’s understandable; meetings can feel like a double-edged sword for office productivity — a necessary evil, in small and large businesses alike.

Both ineffective and effective meetings happen all day, every day. Some are impromptu, and others are planned. Some are marathon all-day events (or even span multiple days), and others are online meetings that only take minutes. They might even be meetings over golf.

But most meetings share the same dichotomy. On the one hand, meetings are essential for planning, growth, and even maintaining morale. They’re often essential to a team’s productivity. But for every minute a business owner (and their employees) are stuck in a meeting, it’s a minute lost that could have been spent doing other work. There might even be emails, voicemails, and other to-do items stacking up in the background.

No one likes going to bad meetings. That’s why business owners can follow these twelve tips to facilitate meetings that are as efficient as possible.

How to Run Effective Meetings

Here are twelve main tips that business owners can follow to help build a company culture that (almost) always has productive meetings.

Have a clear leader

Who is in charge of the meeting? Who has the final say when a decision has to be made? Who decides when it’s time to take a break, change the course of the conversation, or move from brainstorming to deciding on an idea? Everybody should know who is in charge.

Set a goal

Goals are like budgets: everybody knows that they should set goals, but it’s often the first thing overlooked.

So why are meeting goals so important? First, setting a goal helps transform meetings from amorphous time-wasters to meetings with strict parameters. If the meeting leader and attendees all understand what needs to be accomplished, they’re less likely to stray to other topics that move away from the goal rather than towards it. Knowing the goal can also help a meeting leader to quickly acknowledge the value of other participants’ thoughts and contributions, but putting unrelated thoughts on the back burner to keep the conversation on course.

Another benefit of setting a goal is that it helps establish an endpoint for the meeting. Once the goal is met, the meeting can end. Other topics can be addressed in other meetings in the future.

Communicate the meeting goals before starting

Every meeting attendee should have a detailed description of the goals of the meeting (and ideally, a copy of the meeting agenda). That way, they can be prepared however they need to be. For example, in a progress meeting, attendees who know the meeting goals can take the time to repair reports and summaries. Or planning meeting attendees could be asked to prepare a well-thought out idea to share with the group. If everyone comes to the meeting with the right prep work done, usually the meeting can be much shorter.

Don’t sit down (when possible)

Don’t want a meeting to run long? Keep things a little uncomfortable.

Granted, that’s not intended to be a harsh statement. But sometimes, meetings last too long just because no one’s in a hurry to leave. Maybe the room’s held in a conference room with comfy chairs and snacks, so they don’t feel pressure. But what would happen if those same meeting attendees were standing? They’d probably be quick to address the meeting’s agenda; no one wants to stand for two hours straight.

As an added plus, skipping the conference room meeting can provide a wellness boost, too. Maybe a team lead takes their direct reports on a quick walk and talks about the meeting’s topics while they’re out and about. Maybe they could brainstorm ideas while playing ping-pong. There’s not really a wrong answer, but sometimes a creative approach can make the meeting feel less like work, boosting mood and creativity.

This should, of course, be taken with a grain of salt: some meetings belong in conference rooms and offices. For example, it would likely be inappropriate for a boss to give an employee performance review during a stroll through the park; that conversation should probably be kept pretty formal and confidential.

Limit the guest list

This might seem like an obvious one, but a big part of decision-making in a business meeting is ensuring that the guest list only includes people who need to be at the meeting. The more people who attend, the less efficient the meeting will probably be. Too many attendees can cause people to be talking over each other, and all that cross-talk can make for a chaotic environment.

That’s why it’s best to keep the guest list small, inviting only those people who can meaningfully contribute to the discussion. Of course, all attendees will need to pass on relevant information from the meeting to other stakeholders. For example, a meeting’s guest list might be limited to several managers, who in turn pass on the information and action items to the appropriate person on their team.

It’s also just good courtesy to limit the guest list. Odds are, most meeting attendees already have other meetings to attend throughout the day. If there isn’t a clear purpose for them being there, they’ll probably feel annoyed that they need to be there.

Bring a wooden spoon: Define who has the floor

When therapists are teaching communication skills, some use a wooden spoon to set clear expectations for who’s allowed to talk: whoever’s holding the spoon has the floor, and no one can have the spoon for too long of a stretch.

Business owners don’t necessarily have to bring a wooden spoon to their business meetings, but they might find it helpful to bring something else for a similar approach, like a tennis ball, bean bag, or other small object that’s easily passed around. They can explain to every attendee that no one can talk unless they’re holding that object. As simple as this strategy sounds, many organizations find it helpful for certain meeting types, especially those with lots of attendees where everyone wants to participate.

Schedule voting for an appropriate time

Generally, if a meeting is going to include a group vote, most people expect that vote to happen at the end. And that’s understandable; sometimes, the meeting’s content ends up defining what, exactly, is being voted on. Plus, when the vote is at the end of the meeting, attendees have opportunities to speak with their colleagues about their viewpoints, present critical perspectives, and understand all sides of the issue.

But what if the meeting is covering solutions that most people already agree on? In that case, it might be best to put the “vote” part of the meeting towards the beginning. There’s no need for a long discussion if everybody already agrees about the subject.

Put the PowerPoint away

PowerPoint is (for the most part) a thing of the past. Often, it’s not needed for facilitating a successful meeting. It’s not uncommon for presenters to spend far more time building a slide deck than the meeting attendees will spend reading it. Some meeting leaders find that it’s a good practice to skip a PowerPoint unless it’s absolutely necessary for the content they’re covering.

If a meeting does require a visual aid, it’s often sensible to email it to attendees prior to the meeting to they can engage with it in a way that suits their learning style rather than in the meeting itself.

Use a whiteboard instead

In today’s world of incredible technology, it’s easy to overlook the classic whiteboard. But it can still be a great tool for collaboration, especially in a brainstorming meeting. Business owners can set up a whiteboard and let everyone’s mind run wild: they can write down keywords, draw pictures, draw diagrams, make a flowchart, and more. Sometimes, just writing or drawing ideas can be extremely helpful. And face it: it’s a bit more fun than staring at a tabletop.

The best part? Thanks to today’s smartphones, it’s easy to take a picture of the whiteboard at the end of the meeting and share it with others.

Set up no-meeting Monday

Business owners might find it helpful to designate at least one day of the week where meetings aren’t planned (and ideally, not allowed). The no-meeting day gives a business owner and their employees time to focus and catch up on emails, projects, and paperwork. Plus, that free time might help them be more prepared for the meetings they do have to attend later on in the week.

If a full day without meetings isn’t possible, business owners could start by designating one afternoon per week as a no-meeting time.

End meetings on time

Sometimes meetings run longer than expected; it happens. But if overly long meetings is the norm and not the exception, something needs to change. If a team is overly chatty, maybe a business owner can designate somebody as the timekeeper. The timekeeper can help keep things on track by giving time warnings at certain intervals, such as 30 minutes to go, 15 minutes to go, and 5 minutes left. Attendees will appreciate it, and odds are, those warning will help keep the meeting on agenda.

Close with an action plan

What should attenders leave with? Was something decided that requires implementation? Is further research required or a policy written? Smart business owners ensure that when a meeting ends, everyone understands the outcome and their responsibilities afterwards.

RELATED: How to Create a Marketing Plan

The Bottom Line

Meetings are essential but they take employees away from front-line duties. That’s why it’s usually best to meet only when necessary and to keep meetings as short and concise as possible. Business owners who maximize the efficiency of work moments for their employees will usually see better results.