Six Ways to Gain Greater Productivity from Mandatory Meetings

Even at today’s high-stress, long-hours workplace, researchers report that traditional meetings still dominate at most companies. Meetings can stretch into hours, creating more stress for time-strapped employees who must dedicate time away from their tasks.

Smart workplaces feature shorter "action meetings," at which agendas zero in on the most important issues and limit presentations to strict time periods. Even if you are not in a position to control a meeting agenda, you can keep your contributions brief, relying on handouts if that saves you time. Not every meeting has to address every issue. More companies also are turning to mini-meetings, involving only key staff members.

Here are six tips to make your meetings more productive.

1. Only schedule smart meetings. Don’t schedule meetings unless they solve a problem. Are there three problems that can only be solved with a meeting? If so, make those three problems your agenda, and distribute the agenda well in advance of the meeting. This will allow all involved to have ample time to come prepared with possible solutions.

3. Set time limits. Keep your meetings short, and to the point. If you say you will end your meeting in 30 minutes, do it. If you did not meet your goals within that time, study what happened to ensure your next meeting will be more productive.

4. Allow no distractions. Mandate that all cell phones, laptops and other electronic devices be turned off. This will force participants to focus without distractions.

5. Create an escape hatch. Announce at the start of your meeting that issues not resolved or questions remaining can be addressed by a five-minute follow-up meeting involving only interested parties, an e-mail exchange, or a telephone call. Announcing your follow-up plan at the start of the meeting will help you end all meetings on time.

6. Be prepared. Whether you are giving a meeting or going to a meeting, do your homework in advance. If you don’t know what will be addressed, ask well in advance.

If your workplace operates at high-stress, you can make your meetings more productive by introducing the concept of action meetings to your boss or his admin before the next one is scheduled in an attempt to try out these techniques. You might even provide a copy of this article to back yourself up!