Secret Sauce For The Perfect Meeting

[Edition #20] [2 min read]

55% of our time is spent in meetings…yikes!

Feel like you’re bombarded with never-ending meetings?

You’re not alone.

We spend nearly 23 hours a week in meetings.

Twice as much as the 1960s.
(Harvard Business Review)

And trust me… Long Meetings ≠ Productivity.

Here are 5 tips that helped me… ↓

1. Determine if a meeting is needed

2. Have productive meetings

👉️ Tip 1: Before You Meet, Know Your PNPO

• Purpose

• Necessity

• Participants

• Outcome

Ask yourself these 4 key questions BEFORE scheduling a meeting

1. What specific problem or decision necessitates this meeting?

2. Is a meeting the most effective way to address this issue?

3. Who needs to be involved to achieve the meeting's purpose?

4. What actionable results or decisions do we expect from this meeting?

👉️ Tip 2: TEST Your Tech

Ensure all necessary technology is working.

Do this by having a test meeting before the actual meeting begins to avoid technical disruptions.

Here’s a TEST check-list:

• Tools: Ensure necessary software is installed and updated.

• Equipment: Check hardware like microphone and webcam.

• Stability: Test internet connection for reliability.

• Test Meeting: Schedule a trial run to check audio, video, and screen-sharing.

👉️ Tip 3: No Agenda; No Meeting

Prepare and share a clear agenda in advance.

And if you can’t think of an agenda…then you don’t need a meeting.

Be sure to stick to the timing structure for each topic during the meeting.

This helps keep the discussion focused and productive.

👉️ Tip 4: Identify & Avoid Fake Meetings

Imagine 400 people in one “meeting”

Is this a meeting or an assembly…

How to identify fake meetings:

• How many people were actively participating?

• How many people were disengaged?

• Can this be condensed to an email?

If the people disengaged > people engaged…its fake

If this can be condensed to a quick email…its fake.

👉️ Tip 5: Listen More Than You Talk

Take in this quote by Simon Sinek (leadership expert):

“You don’t agree or disagree or give away what you’re thinking – but rather, you take input and you ask questions to better understand where their perspective comes from. And, at the end of it, not only do you make everyone else feel heard, but you also get the benefit of all of their thinking.”

Be the last to talk.

Observe. Listen. Absorb.

Climb Further

1. Free Meeting Agenda Generator

2. How To Facilitate A Meeting

   [Note: Not Sponsored]

Range Recap

Please share this edition to help others! ♻

Till next time, take care & stay well, my friend. 😊 

-Payal