The attention spans of many people these days are short. Many people (millennials especially) want to get the information they need now. I have sat through some meetings where it’s “death by PowerPoint” and it’s hard to pay attention. It’s much better to be more interactive in my mind. Neil Hartman of Forbes says, the seven criteria for an affective meeting are 1. Make your objective clear, 2. Consider who is invited, 3. Stick to your schedule, 4. Take no hostages (don’t allow people to derail the objective), 5. Start and end on time, 6. Ban technology (don’t allow people to be on their phones), and 7. Follow-up (send an email highlighting the meeting) (Hartman, 2014). It’s important to invite the people that the discussion topic effects.
I have been in meetings where the entire team was invited and expected to be there, but the topics discussed only affects one account manager. This can be a huge waste of time for others. Others and I sat there wondering why we were even included because our time could be spent more effectively elsewhere. It happens often in the electrical distribution world. We used to have weekly conference calls to discuss events the previous week and then we would have meetings every two weeks discussing the same topics. The meetings just became boring because it was about topics we had already discussed. We would get frustrated because our jobs were to sell, yet here we are stuck in the office all day. In the end the meeting was ineffective and a waste of time. Employees would talk and ask why do we have these? This leads to a loss of faith in management. The meeting could have more effective if the material discussed was more relevant and not already discussed on phone conferences. Making sure the information is of value is important. I have only used skype a handful of times for meetings and it’s a great tool to have when working remotely. Many more people are being given the choice to work remotely, so google and skype has really helped with access with each other. Discussing relevant material through a video conference is much better than over the phone because you can read body language. I have used conference calls for years and it’s also very effective, but it’s always better to have the most important meetings in person.
It is important to stay on target during a meeting because it’s so easy to get off task. Sometimes meetings end and everyone goes on their way, but it’s crucial for everyone to understand the next steps. At the end of the meeting there should be discussion between everyone, so they all understand what’s next. For example, if the meeting is about any issues than it’s important for everyone to know moving forward what’s to be done to solve it. This should also be the main highlight of the follow-up.
Hartman, N. 2014 February, 5. Seven steps to running the most effective meeting possible.
Forbes. Retrieved from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesleadershipforum/2014/02/05/seven-steps-to-running-the-most-effective-meeting-possible/#21d1c5677a61
Ineffective-meetings. 2005-2019. Retrieved from: https://www.pmchamp.com/beat-the-meeting-mania/ineffective-meetings/
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