Read the materials beforehand. For complex issues, handouts should be distributed beforehand, and everyone is responsible to read them before the meeting. Meeting time should not be spent by the presenter reading a document or a set of slides. You should immediately go into the key discussion points or address clarification questions. If no one has questions or concerns about the proposal, the meeting can end in 15 minutes. Or you don't need to have the meeting.
OK this might be a bit extreme. A more common one is the stand-up meeting. You meet while standing, so that the meeting won't go too long. You'd be tired standing so long, not to mention look weird. This is a physical way of forcing yourself to be efficient.
Document the decisions and action items. Send them to every attendee. They must read and if they disagree with what the minute taker has written, they must raise it for correction. With clear documentation, you don't waste time debating how you remember the last meeting. It must be clear who has responsibility to take which action. A meeting must lead to action, otherwise it is pointless.
Be clear on the agenda. What are you trying to achieve in this meeting? What should you have decided before you leave the room? Tell everyone the agenda beforehand. Everyone must come prepared to discuss it. If there is no clear agenda, cancel the meeting.
One client recently said to me, "I have been telling my people these messages, but as I keep saying the same things, they get numb and the messages don't get through. So I need you as an outside expert to convey these messages." This is certainly not uncommon. It is the same reason teenagers don't listen to their parents but listen to some uncle they have just met. Playing such a role can be challenging. Changing people and their mindsets is not easy, but when can do that, we impact lives.
Albert Einstein said, “A theory should be as simple as possible, but not simpler than that”.
Similarly, a meeting should be as short as possible, but not shorter. People hate meetings because many of them go much longer than needed. I recently heard of one meeting where the chairperson asked several people to come and told them to expect a 2-hour session. That's not a meeting. That's several people coming together to argue and work at the same time.
A meeting is for discussing difficult issues and coming to agreements, so that everyone can move forward with their work. Focus on what needs to be decided, and let people go back to their work.
Don't have a meeting. Most people hate meetings and find them a waste of time, and indeed often they are. The first thing you should ask before calling for a meeting is whether it is necessary. Sometimes a phone call is enough. Or an email, an announcement in a chat group. Sometimes you don't need to involve that many people. Meetings are for discussion and debate. If your goal is only to inform, it shouldn't be a meeting. If it is to instruct, it shouldn't be a meeting. Don't do unnecessary meetings. Save everyone's time.
Read the materials beforehand. For complex issues, handouts should be distributed beforehand, and everyone is responsible to read them bef...
