Management Information |
Are Your Meetings Smart?
Soon after I finished a brief seminar on how to accomplish more in less time every day, Roger shook my hand and said, "I can use what you said. But there is one thing you didn't talk about. It is something that drives me crazy. I can't get anything done because I'm in meetings all day long. We have gone overboard on meetings. We discuss practically everything as a team before making decisions." I asked Roger for his card and I called him later that afternoon with some ideas that could help get him and his team out of their meetings trap. Don't let meetings keep you from getting your work accomplished. It's not uncommon for meetings to claim more than 50% of a business owner's or manager's time, especially when you factor in waiting time, discussion that is unfocused, and appointments that have to be rescheduled. Many key businesspeople claim meetings are their biggest time waster. Can anything be done? Yes. Here are five smart tips to streamline meetings and minimize the potential disruption they cause: 1. Have an agenda and distribute it ahead of time. Make sure everyone knows ahead of time what is to be accomplished at every meeting. People can do their homework, which will make discussion more meaningful. Less time will be wasted watching others "gather their thoughts." 2. Start and end on time. Being flexible for latecomers backfires -- it penalizes the on-time people. It also sends a subtle signal to everyone that deadlines are merely suggestions, which can cause all sorts of disruptions later. 3. Take minutes at every meeting and include follow-up assignments. Be sure to identify who will do what and by when. This holds people accountable to the group for getting done what they said they'd get done -- which eventually frees up some of your time because you won't have to sit in another waste of time meeting listening to clever excuses. 4. Keep regularly scheduled meetings, i.e., the weekly staff meeting, to the bare bones minimum for time. For socializing and team building, plan different functions - don't use meetings. 5. Get rid of the chairs. It's amazing, but people who can't sit say what they have to say faster and in fewer words! Roger said he could see where each of these ideas would work in his office. Put into practice these smart tips for managing meetings and you'll enjoy the luxury of more time for focusing on your real work. Doug Smart is the author of "TimeSmart: How Real People Really Get Things Done at Work." He is a management development consultant, professional speaker, and host of the daily motivational radio show, "Smarter by the Minute." For more information, email Doug@DougSmart.com.Copyright 2005 by Doug Smart
MORE RESOURCES: Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting |
RELATED ARTICLES
Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Improving Workplace Safety This article relates to the Safety and Working Environment competency and explores how your employees feel with regard to their physical and environmental working conditions, the quality of their equipment and tools, and overall attention to safety within the workplace. Every organization is responsible for ensuring the health and safety of their employees. Take Your Firm to the Next Level So you did such a good job in 2003 at bringing in new clients to your firm that you're swamped with business, your firm is large and growing, and all parts of your marketing system are in place and running smoothly? Congratulations - you're off to a great start for 2004!If you can confidently answer "yes!" to the following metrics, then you're ready to take your practice to the next level (and if your answer is "no," get back to basics at http://www.turningpointemarketing. Innovation Management - does the idea fit with the firm? Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are distinct processes that enhance problem identification and idea generation and, similarly, distinct processes that enhance idea selection, development and commercialisation. Pitching to Employees The senior flight attendant on the WestJet flight was starting the routine safety talk: the bit about flotation vests and emergency exits that we ignore at the beginning of every flight."If we could have your attention, please, we would appreciate it - in fact we'd be downright shocked," she said. Change and Performance - Training May Not Be The Answer Introducing new products or services, bringing new people on board, developing a new process or procedure, installing new equipment, change seems to be the one constant in business today and change always seems to drive a need for training.In conducting training needs analysis at any level, we need to understand that training may not be the solution, at least not the whole solution. Diversity in the Workplace: Benefits, Challenges and Solutions Workplace diversity refers to the variety of differences between people in an organization. That sounds simple, but diversity encompasses race, gender, ethnic group, age, personality, cognitive style, tenure, organizational function, education, background and more. Project Management - I Want It ALL The knee-jerk response to prioritizing requirements is to mark everything as a must-have . "I need everything before the product becomes generally available. Four Ways To Make the Case For Outsourcing How do you convert outsourcing leads into clients? You may need to make the case for outsourcing."Businesses today are kicking into survival mode," says Bill Allison, managing director for the Pacific Southwest Management Solutions & Services Group at Deloitte & Touche. The "Better People" Fallacy It's easy enough to convince your own staff that better people will prevail, even against the odds. It's what they want to hear. Performance Management - By Assuming Nothing Unhappy as Jenny undoubtedly was, she held on very tightly to her job. After all, she had worked her way up over the years to the supervisory role she was in - and she wasn't going to let go. Provisioning/User Management System Upgrades: Part II - Building Awareness And Building Approval Somewhere in the world is a person who wants to see their provisioning/user management systems get a sorely needed upgrade. But they seem to be getting nowhere. Management Team Section of Business Plans Writing an award winning business plan is a great skill, but rather than winning any awards you need to get funded. In order to be funded the bank, venture capital firm or even family members need to be sure they will either be paid back or receive their required return on investment. Why Half of All Mergers Fail After the Honeymoon Ends Marriages and corporate mergers in America have at least one thing in common, more than 50 percent end up on the rocks. In fact, according to a McKinsey study, only 23 percent ever recover the costs of walking down the corporate aisle. Demise of the Lone Ranger Manager: A Lesson in Management Communication Style When executives see themselves as solely responsible for the overall success of their enterprise, subordinates can hardly be blamed for acting according to predictions.Let's look at a familiar scene in classical American - if I may use the word - mythology. ISO 9001 the Process Approach to Quality Assurance What is the Process Approach to Quality?The ISO 9001 2000 standard is designed to manage and improve organizations processes. There is a great deal of misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the meaning of the process approach to Quality. Difficult Employees-Poor Performance - 10 Tips for Dealing with it in the Workplace I personally struggle with the term 'managing people' - because I firmly believe that people cannot be managed - only processes and systems can. How many times have you heard it said - "Why won't my employees just do as they are asked?"Despite all our best efforts at 'managing', we have very little control over other people's actions, including the people that work with or for us. Indecent Proposal in the Workplace - An Overview of Workplace Harassment & Employer Liability An allegation of harassment in the workplace is a growing phenomenon facing companies across the U.S. Motivating Employees - Ten Ways to Start You Off Yet there is a place for those external 'raft-build's', 'away days' and 'paintballing'! Just get them in context; there is work to do up front to leverage those experiences and get the best value from them. Just build great relationships in your business or organisation, one-to-one - then have the fun day out and grow even more!"Motivation is like food for the brain. Communicating with Case Studies A few weeks ago, a couple of colleagues and I discussed a new business idea. But, we had trouble expressing how this new business would provide value. Four Steps to Better Performance Reviews Direct reports-people who need direction and leadership-rely on their leaders to give them feedback and mentoring, not just management and evaluations. However, these people who most need their boss's help frequently lack the guidance that would enable them move to the next levels of success-theirs, their team's and the company's. |
home | site map | contact us |