How often do you attend meetings without an agenda? Do you find yourself in forums without a tangible output or accomplishment? Do you sometimes wonder about the purpose of a regularly scheduled meeting?
Take a moment to review your calendar and estimate how much of your day is filled with meetings. For each meeting, consider:
- What is the goal?
- Are we meeting because it’s on our calendars or because we have work to accomplish?
- Does the goal require a conversation, or can the information be shared in a PowerPoint or via email?
- If we have a goal that requires a conversation, how much time do we need to accomplish that goal?
- Do we have enough information to accomplish our goal, or do we need to gather more information before coming together?
- Are the decision-makers and other involved team members present so that we can avoid duplicative meetings?
After you ask these questions, consider cancelling meetings that don’t have clearly stated agendas/goals, specific work to accomplish, sufficient information on hand, or all relevant team members in attendance.
With a lighter meeting schedule, you will discover that you have time to develop creative solutions, to concentrate on your work, and ultimately to improve outcomes!
Meeting Agendas & Goals