Time Management: How to Make Your Meetings More Productive

In most organizations, meetings are often the biggest
time-wasters. With a bit of planning, it’s possible to both
shorten the time spent in meetings and to make that time more
productive. Here’s how. 

* Let all participants know why you’re holding the meeting,
what’s to be accomplished and what each participant is being
called upon to contribute. This should be communicated well
before the meeting. 

* If any of the participants need to do preparatory work before
the meeting, mention that fact. Don’t take it for granted that
such preparation will be taken care of automatically. 

* If the meeting is a follow-up to an earlier meeting, circulate
a copy of the minutes of the latter, even if it has been done
before. This is especially true if there’s been a significant
time gap between the first meeting and the follow-up. 

* Try to see that everyone arrives in time and is already seated
when the meeting is due to begin. Someone walking in midway
through a meeting can be a great distraction. 

* Serving refreshments while a meeting is in progress is also a
distraction. Set out refreshments before the meeting starts.
Schedule breaks for refreshments if the meeting is to go on for
several hours or a day. 

* Make copies of all necessary papers. Passing around a single
set of documents for everyone to read is highly unproductive.
Yet, it’s surprising how often something as simple as this is
not taken care of. 

* Stick to the point. Whoever is presiding over the meeting
should be ready to intervene if someone is digressing from the
topic. Beating around the bush is a huge time-waster. 

* Minimize interruptions from other participants when someone is
speaking. Others can respond when the person has finished
speaking. 

* All cell phones must be switched off. Calls on land lines
should be deferred as far as possible. 

* The meeting should end with a summary of the main points
covered and the conclusions reached. You should also spell out
who is responsible for each specific action to be taken, along
with a timeframe. Later, a written communication covering all
these points should go out to all participants. 

Making meetings more useful is all about using a commonsense
approach. Stick to the above guidelines and watch your meetings
become far more productive.