Yes! You CAN Make Meetings Productive!

  • Dahlonega, Georgia, United States

Author:  Juli Shulem

Short Description

You CAN Make Meetings Productive with most meetings occurring online, I’m hearing about the frustrations of time wasted during meetings from leaders and teams’ members alike. Meetings are running overtime. The structure is lost. People can’t make it to their meetings on time – even virtually! Some people talk too much while others never utter […]

You CAN Make Meetings Productive with most meetings occurring online, I’m hearing about the frustrations of time wasted during meetings from leaders and teams’ members alike. Meetings are running overtime. The structure is lost. People can’t make it to their meetings on time – even virtually! Some people talk too much while others never utter a word.

 

Working from home hasn’t helped – as a matter of fact it seems to be the culprit. Meetings online can be scheduled within a minute of one another since there is no travel time. However, there is no time to pivot from one to the next and if one runs long – the rest are a lost cause with respect to being on time. Since we spend the majority of the day working in an office at home by ourselves, those who are more desirous of human contact and conversation might be a little extra ‘chatty’ when in meetings. While others are less comfortable speaking up in this online arena.

 

Despite the fact that people in your meetings may long to connect – most of the attendees also have other meetings and commitments that they must still get to. So, here is a way to get everyone’s needs met:

Yes! You CAN Make Meetings Productive!

If you are LEADING – Here is what you can do better:

 

  1. Make sure that an agenda is sent prior to the meeting to all invited.
  2. Resist the temptation to put too many topics in one meeting. People only have so much bandwidth.
  3. Ask attendees in advance if they will contribute where appropriate – put their name on the agenda
  4. Stick to the timeline of the meeting so if anyone needs to drop off early, they’ll know what they may miss
  5. If someone talks longer than time has been allocated, despite the temptation to let people talk, it is your responsibility as the meeting initiator to keep schedule adherence.
  6. Start the meeting on time. That is the respectful thing to do as it honors those who were prompt.
  7. Schedule those presenting topics well in advance to avoid potential conflicts.
  8. Don’t recap what has happened thus far in the meeting for people who are late – that will disrespect those who heard it the first time around as well as set a precedent that being late will be ‘rewarded.’  Not to mention this wastes time and could make THIS meeting run late, thus perpetuating the late-cycle.
  9. Schedule an additional meeting or ‘social’ time online for people to chat. Or set aside time at a meeting just for that purpose – but make it clear in advance that time is being set aside for everyone to share.
  10. You may want to come up with something fun to have everyone weigh in on – something universal – such as their favorite kind of pizza. Good ice breakers get even shy people to talk. You can even create small ‘breakout rooms’ for a larger group and give everyone something to talk about so they get to know one another on a more personal level. Just make sure that this is in the agenda and time is allocated for it.

 

After a meeting, the initiator of the meeting should send an email recapping the events and discussions from the meeting and the commitments made during it. This will help those who may have had to leave early, or who showed up late, or those who just ‘spaced-out’ to feel they are up to speed on all the crucial aspects.

 

NOW – If you are ATTENDING – Here is what you can do better:

 

  1. Check your email prior to the meeting to see if any new information has been sent that you may need to deal with in the meeting
  2. Turn off your alerts, phone, etc. (airplane mode???) so you are able to be engaged in the meeting – close tabs on your computer and pause any videos you may have been listening to.
  3. Jot down notes if you have something to contribute in the meeting and get your comments down to the most succinct commentary to avoid wasting everyone else’s time
  4. Be on time. Chime in a couple of minutes early even so when the meeting starts you are ready to participate and listen.
  5. If you don’t have anything to contribute then keep quiet so there is time for those who do have something important to say to do so.
  6. If your feedback is not related to the topic at hand, send an email to the appropriate people and don’t hog the meeting time.

 

Meetings make up a huge percentage of our work week – so keep them productive.  Avoiding time being wasted benefits everyone involved. Don’t have a meeting just because you feel you are supposed to. If there is no real benefit that you can see, and you can send an email and get feedback from that instead, do so.

 

Planning ahead for any meeting is the right thing to do – including determining if the meeting ought to happen at all. If you cannot attend each meeting you are invited to, let the planner know and be on time to the one(s) you can attend. Clear communication before, during and after meetings helps move your team, department, and the company forward. If your meeting isn’t doing that, reassess why you are having one.

 

Article written by: Juli Shulem

Contact Us at WeSpeak Global and follow us on Twitter

The articles, video and images embedded on these pages are from various speakers and talent.

These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by WeSpeak Global.

Similar to Yes! You CAN Make Meetings Productive!

Acceptance – Cave In or Lean In?: “When you argue with reality you lose – but only 100% of the time.” Byron Katie I love Katie’s words because they speak to the simple truth – we can’t change reality. Yet there are times in our lives when we don’t like or want the reality we […]

  • Author: Niki Seberini
Rekindle Embers of Hope

It’s hard to believe twenty years have passed since I was honoured and humbled to carry the 2020 Olympic Torch Hindsight to Rekindle Embers of Hope, on the day of the opening ceremonies of the Sydney 2000 Olympics; one of only 26 people before Cathy Freeman lit the cauldron in the stadium. I’d been privileged […]

  • Author: Catherine deVrye
JJ DiGeronimo

In a recent CIO article (Great IT Leaders Must Have This Trait)  talking about the traits of Successful Women in the technology world, it mentions the importance of being a connector. When you think about it, it doesn’t matter what your industry; being a connector has value in all walks of life. A friend of […]

  • Author: JJ DiGeronimo
Laurie Maddalena

During my tenure as a vice president of human resources for a credit union in Maryland, I worked with how to manage a high performing employee and with two human resources generalists on my team. Both were good at their jobs; they each had completed training and certifications in HR. Yet one was exceptional—she had […]

  • Author: Laurie Maddalena
WS Logo 512

To risk or not to Risk – could I cope with 12 pairs of gloves? The quandary: There’s a question on many female’s hearts and minds this week as the 29th looms ahead about whether to really pop THE question. It might also be on everyone’s hearts and minds wondering if they might be the […]

  • Author: Kate Emmerson
peter diamandis

Getting absolutely clear about HOW TO UNCOVER YOUR PASSION is critical to your success as an entrepreneur. You want a passion that you are willing to shout from the rooftops—that you’ll share with everyone, even strangers at a cocktail party. Why is identifying your unique passion so important? Because passion is fundamental to your forward progress. […]

  • Author: Peter Diamandis
rob caskie

28 DECEMBER 2021 ~ ST ANDREWS BAY, STROMNESS AND LEITH STATIONS by Rob Caskie “South Georgia is for those who grew up dreaming of a Garden of Eden, where you walk unharmed among abundant and fearless wildlife in a beautiful wilderness – an oasis of serenity in a world increasingly out of step with Nature.” […]

  • Author: Rob Caskie
WS Logo 512

If I am not like you, I tend to not like you…so it becomes an Us vs Them = toxic environment   If I am like you, I tend to like you Us vs Them = toxic environment How can we get rid of unnecessary trash talk from the organization, like “We in production and […]

  • Author: Antoni Lacinai

Our Mission

We are your partner creating memorable and engaging experiences that go beyond the event itself.

© All rights reserved 2025. Created using VOXEL THEME