Here’s How to Make Meetings More Productive and Meaningful

When CEOs and managers know how to make meetings more productive, the whole company wins. Efficient, enjoyable team huddles pay off immediatelyandin the long term. Among the most successful bosses are the ones who run well-planned meetings. Consequently, the employees who attend such motivational gatherings tend to perform better at work.

Each company has its way of conducting productive meetings. When Marissa Mayer still ran Yahoo, she favoured micro-meetings over long ones. She believed her team could focus more in huddles that lasted 10 minutes, not 60. Mayer held several of these throughout her day, ironing out issues with different groups in the same period it takes to fold laundry.

On the other hand, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, expects every attendee to be on top of their role in the company. He is known for asking team members direct questions at meetings and expecting them to answer confidently.

There is little doubt that Mayer and Musk prefer efficient huddles. However, these must also be engaging and enjoyable. A highly informative meeting may do little good if its attendees are bored and unmotivated. According to Dr Martin E.P. Seligman, director of the Penn Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania, people who have a reasonable amount of fun at work exceed expectations. He says a positive mood at work motivates workers to go above and beyond. One of the few direct ways a manager can usher in fun is through meetings.

Therefore, run your meetings so they push learning, inspire productivity, and, not least of all, boost enjoyment. The following tips can help you.

Make your agenda ahead and share it with your team.

Winging it is not an option if you want a productive meeting that adds value to everyone. If you are hosting the huddle, write down your talking points at least a few days ahead.

Run down this checklist to make sure you cover everything:

• Team updates
  • Have each attendee briefly state their current workload. It will show everyone how individual efforts contribute to the bigger picture.
• Wins and losses
  • Celebrate even the smallest of victories. Collectively find solutions to obstacles.
• Key performance indicators or KPIs
  • Metrics measure progress. These numbers can either reinforce your wins or explain the losses.
• Action points
  • Include deadlines. Each team member must know what they need to do.

Send this list to all participants ahead of the meeting. Allow everyone to come to the huddle prepared.

How this helps your team now:It puts everyone on the same page regarding team and individual projects.

How this will help your team in the long run:Done regularly, you develop the habit of coming to meetings well-prepared. You also instil the same practice in your group.

Prepare an icebreaker activity to improve group dynamics.

The right tone for a meeting is collaborative, flexible, and focused on learning. Whether you do it face-to-face or remotely, begin your huddle with a fun, stimulating activity.

For face-to-face meetings

• Paper aeroplanes: Hand out a sheet of coloured paper to each team member. On this sheet, have them write a fun fact about themselves. Afterwards, let them fold their paper into planes and launch it into the air. Once the planes land, everybody has to retrieve one and guess whom among the team the fun fact written on the plane is referring to.
• Speed "dating:" Have a list of topics for discussion—a most unforgettable experience, how to prepare your favourite dish, etc. Next, get everyone to pair up. Each pair then picks a topic from the list and discusses it. After a minute, they move to the next partner with the next topic, and so on.

For remote meetings

• Show and tell: Taking turns, have each attendee show something interesting on their desk. It can be a succulent, a pet, or even a snack.
• Survey time: Prepare a live poll. Ask fun questions such as, "What is the weirdest thing you have done while attending a virtual work call?”

How this helps your team now:You learn something new about each other. The fun activity also energises everyone.

How this will help your team in the long run:Icebreakers boost camaraderie. Eventually, these activities will teach everyone how to work well together.

Have a speaker do a little TED talk.

Not all meetings should stop at metrics and updates. Once in a while, allot some time for a special guest to share their expertise with the team. A short but meaningful talk from someone outside your organisation can go a long way in inspiring your team. More than holding a high position in their industry, this person must be a good communicator who can reach your team on a personal level. They must be able to present fresh and unique insights and stimulate a lively discussion. It does not even have to be directly about your industry. If your team are interested in animé, for example, invite a Manga artist to talk about their work process. Do you have a staff full of foodies? Perhaps a chef can come over and demonstrate how to make their signature dish.

How this helps your team now:Like a breath of fresh air, a mini TED talk energises and motivates any audience, including your team.

How this helps your team in the long run:A resource speaker's innovative ideas may eventually inspire a project or a new angle for a presentation.

Take full advantage of technology.

Yes, Zoom fatigue (the exhaustion you feel after any virtual conference call) is a reality. Employees working from home, though, cannot escape virtual calls. These online meetings keep them connected to their coworkers in the office.

The following brings you tips on how to follow virtual call etiquette:

• Send out the call credentials a few days before the meeting. Make sure the login details are secure to prevent hackers from disrupting anything.
• To keep background noise from being an issue, have everyone download and use background-cancelling apps.
• Let everyone dial in five to 10 minutes early to set up their workstations for the call. See to it that audio and video work perfectly.
• When you speak, remember to look into the camera. It will have the same effect as if you were making eye contact in a face-to-face meeting.
• Mute yourself when you do not need to talk. When you do, use the raise-hand button and wait for the host to call on you.

How this helps your team now:When a virtual call runs smoothly, the entire list of tasks is delivered efficiently. Any clarifications can be made in real-time, letting everyone work better.

How this helps your team in the long run:If everyone gets a chance to host a virtual or hybrid meeting, it raises your self-esteem. It will come in handy when you host virtual presentations with a global audience.

Remember that happy employees are prolific employees. One way to ensure you enjoy your work is to know how to make meetings more productive. Ahead of your huddle, send out a list of action points. This plan will help you stick to your task list and timeline. As the huddle begins, improve group dynamics with a brain-teasing ice breaker. Once everyone is relaxed and energised, have a guest speaker give a short, inspirational talk. Make sure the technology works. Audio and video can make or break your conference call.

#LetsGetToWork toward workplace meetings that are fun, efficient, and productive. Read more expert tips in JobStreet's Career Resources Hub.