8 steps to a more productive meeting
Between vague agendas and never-ending PowerPoints, meetings have become a waste of time for many. Here’s how some “experts” structure their huddles to make them productive and run smoothly:
Category: Meeting Management
Meeting on the cheap
Pick up smart, budget-saving ideas for event planning from the Frugal Planner’s Tip of the Week newsletter on www.meetings-conventions.com. Examples of recent tips:
1-Minute Strategies: Dec. ’10
If you’ve received an invitation to a party at your boss’s home, yes, you do have to RSVP, attend, dress appropriately, mingle and send a thank-you note afterward, says Barbara Pachter, a leading expert in business etiquette and communications. And turn off your cell phone!
Most meetings end with indecision
Not surprisingly, 85% of executives are dissatisfied with the efficiency and effectiveness of their companies’ meetings, reports Harvard Business Review. Here are two ways to help drive better decision-making during a meeting—and boost your boss’s efficiency:
The do’s and don’ts of virtual meetings
Virtual meetings, whether by phone or video, have become a business staple. But virtual meetings present special challenges. How to stay professional during a virtual meeting:
1-Minute Strategies: Nov. ’10
Become an effective networker even if you’re an introvert, writes Devora Zack, author of Networking for People Who Hate Networking … Know when to use—and when to skip—skycaps while traveling … Track your personal spending with two free online tools … Give your “audience”—the people around you—a new, great story.
How to take smart meeting notes
Some of the most successful businesspeople, such as Bill Gates, are known for taking detailed, effective meeting notes. Gina Trapani, a technology writer and software developer, recently shared three different note-taking systems in Fast Company:
Coming soon: a smooth street view
Microsoft is working on a new technology, dubbed Street Slide. And from the looks of the demo, it would revolutionize online maps. The new technology allows users to “slide” along a street—rather than jump from snapshot to snapshot, as in Google Street View.
Ask 5 questions before every meeting
Communications strategist Miri McDonald thinks unproductive meetings should be banned. And when a meeting is needed, it should be both productive and fun. She believes in thinking through every aspect of a meeting in advance—everything from the relationships between attendees to which open-ended questions will get a conversation going.
Whose meeting is it, anyway?
You receive a meeting request for your boss, but there’s no agenda attached. You don’t want your boss to walk into the meeting room unprepared, but then again, it isn’t your job to do the organizing work. Is it?