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In this fast-paced world, where technology helps individuals connect with bosses or co-workers, do employees need to sit together face to face across the table or is a cross-centre video conference enough? Yes, they do need to meet — for better teamwork, avoiding misunderstandings, creating trust, instilling a sense of purpose, resolving differences, generating new ideas… The list is endless. Meetings serve as pipelines for a two-way flow of information from bosses to employees and vice-versa; obstructions can lead to a mess. Here’s how you can turn your meetings into sharp and productive interactions.
1. Decide the shape of meetings
- Should they be in the office or outside?
- Should there be crosscentre conferences?
- Should they last more than a day? Will an offsite be better?
2. Have a defined agenda
- Plan everything you need to cover
- State the purpose clearly — discussing strategy/problems, stating workarounds, or asking for suggestions/solutions
3. Have a time limit for each item
- Check if time is adequate to cover all subjects
- Prioritise subjects and allot time accordingly
- Assign a time limit for the meeting — the shorter the better
4. Whom to invite, and whom to put in charge
- Pick up a suitable person to kickstart the meeting and act as anchor
- If announcing a strategy change, invite the people who are affected
- If solving problems, rope in those who will be good sources of information for a solution
- People not relevant to the meeting subject can negatively affect others
5. Don’t have the whole office in one meeting
- If bosses want to inform everyone, a memo will do
- It is better to have teams when participants/majority of participants are from same level; juniors may not be willing to speak up in the presence of seniors
- Outside involvement/people of other teams should come in only as advisers
6. Make sure the people called can participate
- Participation leads to confidence-building
- Helps generate new ideas
- Lets seniors spot talent
7. Don’t let one person or issue hijack the meeting
- Avoid people who talk more, those who eat into others’ time or are repetitive
- Assign time limits upfront
8. Jotting down takeaways
- Ask a person/persons to note down key points/decisions
9. Use visuals and presentations, but keep them short
- Use flowcharts, SWOT analyses
10. Meeting etiquette
- Avoid use of personal gadgets
- Don’t be late
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