It is widely believed that more than half the meetings conducted today are time consuming and offer no tangible results which effectively enhance an organization. To this end, meetings in general should be purposeful; informative; instructive; and meet the needs of the manager or company involved.
Meetings have taken on an entirely new meaning. Once used to keep managers abreast of the latest information, they are used as gatherings which ultimately do not effect change, but are merely social events. Furthermore, as a manager of a business, your time is quite valuable; and meetings which are ambiguous in nature do not lead to the further enhancement of your business, but serve as a distraction from the work at hand.
Therefore, when thinking about meetings and their purpose, it is important to have a clear and concise agenda which not only outlines the intended objectives for the future of the company, but allows for discussion and debate so that every member at the meeting has the ability to engage and offer their input.
With emails; conference calls, and VoIP usage; meetings should be held based upon a need; and not because a certain number of meetings have to occur within a year to meet the tenets of the company. Certainly, management meetings are important; and inter-office meetings serve to keep the staff on track, but meetings per se have become far too irrelevant as it pertains to the issues put forth.
Meetings should have a purpose; a way of focusing in on the company’s progress or lack thereof, and engaging all parties in participating in an effort to articulately contribute their thoughts to overcome these obstacles. There should be a set agenda; a time frame; and a conclusion.
When handled properly, everyone should come away from a meeting with additional knowledge to solve certain issues; answers to questions; and information which can further their success.
