We’ve all been in a meeting that went on way too long. Too many people are involved, there’s no clear agenda, and it just. drags. on. It’s obvious there were no effective meeting strategies used.
Especially today, in a post-pandemic world where many team members are working from home and meeting attendance is hybrid, it’s important that meetings are properly planned and run effectively.
Here are some of our most effective meeting strategies for preparing, holding, and managing effective meetings.
Preparing For Effective Meetings
First things first, ask yourself: What’s the purpose of this meeting? Is it worth the time it will take out of everyone’s day? If you do absolutely need to schedule a meeting, ensure you only invite those who truly need to be there.
Once you’ve determined the purpose (i.e., specifically what the goals and outcome of the meeting are), create an agenda with timestamps that will help get the attendees there. If needed, assign roles to individual elements and let people know ahead of time what they will be responsible for in the meeting.
Ensure you respect everyone’s time and start the meeting as scheduled, and set ground rules for how the meeting will be run.
Effective Meeting Strategies for Active Participation And Communication
Part of the ground rules you set at the beginning should include an expectation of active participation, and throughout the meeting ensure you allow space for attendees to share opinions, ask questions, and give feedback. This is especially important when meetings are either completely or partially online.
By actively receiving input from everyone, you’re ensuring that the decisions being made are the best option for as large a group of people as possible. The best teams have diverse strengths, backgrounds, and experiences – make sure they’re all participating in your meeting.
Handling Disagreements Constructively
Of course, when groups of passionate people are giving feedback and sharing opinions, there are bound to be disagreements. How you as the meeting Leader handle those disagreements will determine whether the meeting stays on track or gets derailed completely.
It’s also important to know what to watch for so you can spot potential conflicts early: pay close attention to body language, watch facial expressions, look for restlessness, and pay attention to possible note-sharing with others. Folks may even stare at the speaker if they’re feeling particularly frustrated.
Use these tips from Mind-Tools to de-escalate disagreements:
De-personalize
When things get too heated, conflict can become personal. Ensure you use language that focuses on the what, not the who, is the problem.
Question
Another tactic to de-escalate conflict is to turn it on its head and focus on the research element. Ask questions and get more details from the combative parties about what exactly it is that’s bothering them. Encourage them to be clear, and ask them to share what changes would make them happy.
Remove Threats
Of course, in any kind of situation, there are threats and there are perceived threats. If someone is afraid that something could happen (for example, losing their job) but you know that they are wrong, clear that up for them to put them at ease and allow for a focus on the issue at hand.
Unknowns are also often threatening. Talking things out and communicating openly can help clear the air and keep conflict from escalating.
Go Off-Line
Sometimes, an attendee might just be too upset to be able to have a constructive conversation within the parameters of the meeting, or the issue at hand might be too personal to discuss with others around.
As the Leader, take note of when you may have to put a conversation on hold and continue it in private with the affected party at a later time when the conversation can be logical not emotional.
Meetings can be incredibly productive collaboration opportunities. If you prepare adequately beforehand and follow the strategies for effective meetings we’ve outlined here, you can confidently go forward knowing your team will feel respected and valued.If you’re looking for more tips and strategies for hosting effective meetings, book a call today.
