Easy Ways to Make Your Next Meeting More Productive

There’s no comparison to gathering employees together to discuss a topic. Group emails just don’t accomplish the same end. Whether in person or by conference call, meetings are definitely helpful. But it takes planning to maximize the time spent by all attendees.

Seven Easy Steps to a Productive Meeting

To make meetings worthwhile for all who attend, follow these tips from a leading provider of jobs in Bainbridge GA—Snelling Georgia Group:

Ask for Agenda Items Ahead of Time

When you know what employees plan to discuss during your meeting, you can set time aside for each topic. This helps you stay on track and touch on all topics.

Invite Only Necessary Attendees

It’s a huge time drain to have people at meetings who won’t benefit from the content. For this reason, only invite those directly related to the topic at hand.

Explain the Meeting’s Purpose Ahead of Time

When attendees know what is to be discussed, they can prepare their thoughts prior to the meeting. This proactive method will allow you to prevent the need for future meetings on the same topic.

Require Laptops and Cell Phones to Stay Off

Anything happening outside the meeting can be addressed after the meeting ends. You can help your attendees stay focused on the task at hand by limiting distractions.

Focus on Actions and Deadlines

Meeting discussions can veer off course when too much time is dedicated to the what and why rather than the how and when. Make the goal of meetings to determine next steps and turnaround times.

Assign Clear Takeaways

When employees leave a meeting with a clear idea of what’s to happen next, you ensure the meeting was more productive. Another method is circulating meeting minutes after the meeting to review highlights and key priorities.

Avoid Formality

When employees feel more comfortable, they’ll speak up more in meetings. Try to keep the discussion informal by avoiding PowerPoint presentations and podiums. Encourage everyone to participate.

Set a Plan and Stick to It

All new procedures take a little getting used to. Let your staff know you’re making changes to help meetings move along more smoothly. Then, stick to your changes once implemented.

Looking to Staff Up?

Check out Snelling Georgia Group. We work with employers in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area to find, hire and place new employees. To learn more, contact us today!

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