You might have attended some meetings that seemed to waste your time. Too many unproductive meetings can negatively affect personal and team productivity and overall well-being. These are some guidelines and best practices for running healthy and productive discussions.
Before the meeting
- The facilitator must invite only the people that needs to be there and who can contribute to achieving the meeting goal. Take into consideration different time zones if applicable.
- Prepare a structure agenda that states the purpose and goals of the meeting. Share it in advance with the participants, contributing to more focused and productive discussions.
- Remind people with assigned action items that they must complete the work. As a good practice, remind people at the midpoint before the next session.
- Revaluate the length of the meeting based on the agenda. Cancel if it isn’t necessary. Consider whether the meeting can be covered asynchronously (e.g. sending an email, sharing a document).
During the meeting
- Start every meeting by clearly stating the meeting goals.
- For recurring meetings, review the status of pending action items from previous sessions to ensure accountability.
- The facilitator must ensure the working group follows and sticks to the agenda throughout the meeting to avoid derailing.
- Before ending the meeting, the group must review the key points and decisions discussed and assign owners to follow up on actions.
- Encourage participation and give everyone a chance to speak**,** including remote participants. Ask open-ended questions like, “What does everyone think?” instead of “Does everyone agree?”
After the meeting
- The facilitator must share the outcome of the meeting in the public channel to ensure all stakeholders are updated with the working group’s progress.
- Schedule necessary follow-up meetings with relevant context.
- Assess the need for and frequency of recurring meetings. Schedule meetings less frequently, if possible.
Healthy and productive meetings require active participation from attendees, a clear and concise agenda that is followed throughout, and the correct attendees. Following the best practices for before, during, and after meetings described here can help you have more productive meetings.