We have all been to meetings that leave you feeling like nothing was accomplished and your time could have been better spent elsewhere. When you look around the room and see that no one is engaged in the conversation but instead focused on writing up emails or browsing the internet.  So how can you avoid being the host to one of these meetings?

Here are the tips and tricks to have a productive and engaging meeting that people actually want to attend.

What NOT to do:

– DON’T do all the talking. It’s hard to get engagement from people when there is no opportunity to speak up. Encourage people to brainstorm out loud and offer opportunities for people to provide feedback.

– DON’T multitask. This is common practice in meetings. It can be easy to get distracted when you are multitasking and worse you can also distract those around you. It can be difficult to close that laptop and be present when there is an expectation for a quick response from clients, co-workers or your leadership team.  By avoiding multi-tasking the meeting will be shorter, more efficient and can lead to less redundant meetings going forward.

– DON’T go off topic. Keep the meeting focused on what you need to accomplish. The best way to keep people on topic is to set the expectations at the beginning of the meeting by starting with a clear agenda, and a goal for what you hope to accomplish.

– DON’T waste time. Don’t schedule more time then needed and if the goals have been accomplished. Meeting is over. Yay!

 

What you SHOULD do:

– DO evaluate if the meeting is needed. If the answer is yes, make sure you are only inviting necessary parties. Having too many voices in a meeting can make it less productive.

– DO send an agenda ahead of time. This will provide attendees the chance to gather questions and necessary data.

-DO ban devices in the meeting. Unless there is a valid reason for that person to be available attendees should have their laptops closed during the meeting. The meeting will go smoother and you will be done sooner if people are focused and not distracted by devices.

– DO start your meeting on time. Showing up late to your meeting is a sign that you don’t value the time of others attending. So be on time or early to avoid starting the meeting off with a bad note.

– DO offer conference call/video technology for remote employees. Make sure to send the information BEFORE the meeting so users can login ahead of time to minimize disruptions.

– DO use visuals. Use a whiteboard or PowerPoint presentation with key topics.  Even if you only displaying the agenda, it can be helpful for attendees to have a focal point.  Do avoid lengthy PowerPoint presentations  his can backfire into being counterproductive.

 

Follow these tips and you are guaranteed to have a more productive and efficient meeting. Struggle with getting your offshore development teams to attend critical meetings? At Excel SoftSources our team operates within U.S. business hours through multiple collaboration tools. Our teams are fluent in English and available to join your team meetings making remote collaboration a breeze. Contact us now to see how we can help!

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