How To Conduct Effective Meetings

A meeting is a manager’s tool for getting across even the biggest change in the company. It is where he or she can discuss thoroughly the plans set by the management, and it is when people can actively contribute to that upcoming change.

However, today, the term “meeting” is quite taken for granted by most people. Based on my observation, this is because a lot of meetings are often derailed from their main points, take too long, don’t actually produce the change they intend to bring, and are actually just where the managers just tell people what to do — like a memo, but with added physical presence.

Here are some tips on how to conduct an effective meeting:

1. Differentiate meetings from memos. Contrary to traditional belief, not everything has to be done in a meeting. A meeting is a gathering of people concerned in one or a small set of given issues, and requires interaction from the participants. A memo, on the other hand, is a straight to the point reminder or order to everyone of interest in the subject matter. Given these differences, we should take note that there are certain things that can be done in meetings, while others can be left as memos. The bottom line is, if the subject matter is small and can be reduced into a short paragraph, produce a memo. This is more convenient for everyone in your office.

2. Provide details. Secrecy is good if it is about additional incentives, vacation trips, or salary increases. However, for any other case, inform everyone about the meeting’s agenda. Provide a short description in your memo so everyone can prepare themselves for it. This will help the meeting go smoother, especially if it is a brainstorming activity where everyone has to pitch in ideas. The details don’t have to be very specific like “sales have gone down, or production manager A has committed X act.” You can give the general nature of the subject like “increasing sales for the year.”

3. Find the right time. Urgent matters obviously require urgent attention, but for things that can be put off for another time, you might want to consider setting up the meeting at a later date. Everyone has his own responsibilities in the office. Some of them even have deadlines. In setting up meetings, weigh first the level of imperativeness of the subject. If the matter needs to be discussed as soon as possible, you may set the meeting on the spot. If not, figure out the time when there is less workload for the majority. Conducting the meeting at the right time will also help you get your people to give their full attention in the meeting.

4. Stick to the schedule. Meetings should be brief—they should only include relevant details for the subject and will not take up the whole day, unless really necessary. This is because: (1) people have short attention spans; (2) a lot of people are just in it for the free food (hopefully, if there are any); and (3) they would rather be somewhere else in the office than be in the meeting room listening to you and looking at your tasteless multimedia presentation. Make a timetable on how the meeting should go about. List down the main points to be discussed and stick with them.

5. Get people involved. Like previously mentioned, a meeting is different from a memo because of it being multilateral, that is, the message sent is not one-sided. An effective meeting is where people are interested and engaged. They participate. They question areas that are questionable. They are involved.

For a meeting to be effective, you must allow the participants to voice out their perspectives. Who knows? The best project might be a result of the synergy of your idea and your subordinates’. If you don’t want them butting in while you are still in the middle of your presentation, then tell them that you will be accommodating them after.

6. Follow through. No one likes attending something where nothing really happens afterwards. For people to be motivated and actually interested in attending company meetings, you have to follow through. This means that you ask for their feedbacks, observe if the changes you discussed before are actually being implemented, or check if the items have already been purchased.

Learning how to conduct effective meeting will bring an exponential increase in productivity as not only you but also many other people’s work would be enhanced. Making an effort to improve your meetings is one of the best ways to increase output.
*Originally published by the Manila Bulletin. Manila Bulletin, C-6, Sunday, May 1, 2016. Written by Ruben Anlacan, Jr. (President, BusinessCoach, Inc.) All rights reserved. May not be reproduced or copied without express written permission of the copyright holders.