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Make meetings great again

Sakib Mahmud | November 17, 2024 00:00:00


Meetings--love them or loathe them, you can't escape them in your career. But do they always have to feel like a black hole of time and energy? The answer is a loud NO. Meetings can actually be the secret sauce to productivity, collaboration, and getting things done-if we play it smart. These are some pointers to make them work without making everyone yawn or sneak glances at their phones.

Keep it exclusive, not a town hall: Invite only the people who matter to the agenda. No, your meeting doesn't need to look like a wedding guest list. If it's about budget cuts, don't drag in the intern who'd rather be anywhere else. A smaller group of relevant people means sharper discussions, fewer tangents, and quicker decisions.

Hit the big stuff first: Start with the most important agenda items. Why? Because by the end of the meeting, half the room is either zoning out or planning their lunch. Tackle the big questions when everyone's fresh, and leave the minor updates for email.

Not everyone needs a speaking role: Contrary to popular belief, not everyone in the room needs to weigh in. Yes, brainstorming is important, but dragging unnecessary people just to regurgitate the same things into discussions wastes time. If a decision involves only two team members, let them handle it while the rest focus on their tasks.

Pre-read, prepped, and powerful: Circulate the agenda and any pre-read materials in advance. No one wants to spend 20 minutes explaining a five-minute topic to someone who could've been prepared. Pre-reads mean the meeting starts on the same page, without detours into the basics. Or start meetings with reading materials for five minutes like they do in Amazon so that executives can't bluff it out about reading them.

Deadlines and accountability are non-negotiable: Every meeting must answer two questions: ‘Who's doing what’, and ‘by when’. End the session with clear action points, deadlines, and responsible people. Accountability isn't optional--it's the glue that keeps decisions from vanishing into thin air.

Disagree, then commit: Not every meeting ends in unanimous agreement. And that's fine! Disagreement sparks creativity and better solutions. But once the decision is made, everyone must commit to it. Nothing kills momentum like passive-aggressive foot-dragging.

Bring the room together, physically or virtually: In the age of hybrid work, meetings need to blend offline and online participants seamlessly. Invest in tech that makes remote attendees feel like they're in the room if they are relevant. And no, yelling into the laptop mic doesn't count as effective communication. Be respectful and constructive and give everyone a chance to reply.

Time is money, and we're not printing it: Meetings without an end time are like TV soap operas--they can drag forever. Set a clear time limit and stick to it. If discussions run over, park the leftover items for a follow-up session. Respecting the clock respects everyone's time.

Meetings— chaos or catalyst: Done wrong, meetings are productivity vampires, draining energy and morale. But done right, they're a catalyst for clarity and action. While meeting is important to organise a company, without structure and the right culture it will slow things down and give people a false sense of accomplishment. Remember, the key isn't more meetings; it's 'better' ones. So the next time you set one up, think small, focus big, and keep the clock ticking. Meetings can be the villain or the hero of your workday--it's all in how you use them.

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