I Have Too Many Meetings on Days That End in "Y"
Based on an informal survey of clients and colleagues, the typical employee spends 80% of the day in meetings. Is this an exaggeration? In most cases, yes. But in some cases, there truly is a glut of meetings…especially when you don’t accomplish your objectives and revisit the same topic over and over again without resolution or action.
When are we supposed to do our “real” work if we are trapped in endless, unproductive meetings for hours each day? The answer usually goes one of two directions: overtime or missed deadlines. For those who choose to handle the situation by working overtime, there is a risk of burnout. By putting in extra time to keep up, the employee may eventually get frustrated and leave the organization or suffer from mental or physical symptoms. Other employees elect to miss deadlines and blame the endless number of meetings. Neither option is acceptable.
Here are some “simple” techniques for running more effective meetings so that you and your employees have more time to complete your work during the day. (The word simple is in quotation marks because knowing what to do and implementing new procedures can often be two different things).
- Prepare an agenda
• send it out 2-3 days prior to the meeting
• allocate a specific time frame to each topic and stick to it
- Have clear objective for each agenda item (e.g., decision, discussion, brainstorm)
• Start and end on time (this is difficult at first, but effective)
• Establish ground rules for participation (e.g., no interrupting, everyone contributes, no side
conversations, come prepared) and encourage the team to enforce “their” rules
• End the meeting by summarizing and identifying action items with accountability and
deadlines
• Publish the results and action items immediately following the meeting
If you would like to learn more about running effective meetings in your organization, contact Kammy Haynes.
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