Effective Meetings Quick Refresher

10 Best Practices for Effective Meetings Draft an agenda & send out approximately 48 hours in advance Recap time-sensitive tasks at the end of the meeting (who’s doing what, by when) Set and state the goals for the meeting (what must we accomplish during this time)? Stay on topic (suggest time frames for each agenda item) Assign Meeting Timers (if there’s a pattern of long-winded topics, ask someone to volunteer/help with the timeliness of each agenda item) Agree to being flexible for changes in team members’ schedules (all must agree to be proactive/goal oriented) Keep individual team calendars up to date (ensure participants agree with this expectation) Set rules for the meeting (start/end time, laptop usage, sidebar conversations, etc.) Always provide post meeting summary (meeting minutes) Ensure key individuals know their role in the meeting and attend the meetings

7 Common Pitfalls of Ineffective Meetings No clear agenda, objective of the meeting Poor facilitation, stuck on one topic for too much time Lack of preparation of all team members Not keeping calendars up to date / Lack of response to meeting invites Lack of decision making (key participants must be engaged and/or attending most meetings) Prompt arrival to meetings of participants (recaps delays the meeting progression) Meeting frequency doesn’t match the timeframe to accomplish goals: –If a deliverable is due in 4-6 weeks, a weekly meeting is needed. –If a deliverable is due in 2-6 months, team meetings are every 2 weeks. –The length of each meeting (30, 60, 90 minutes) should be based on objective.