10 Characteristics of Effective Meetings
Meetings are important for teams in all kinds of organizations. There is a lot to be said about the different types of meetings (e.g., work, personal), but as a whole, meetings have many factors that can help or hinder the effectiveness of their outcome.
This post will discuss 10 characteristics that will help you improve the productivity and efficiency of your meetings. It even includes a list of tips from professionals who have successfully utilized these tactics in their meeting effectiveness! Let's get started!
## Introduction ##
Meetings are important for teams in all kinds of organizations. There is a lot to be said about the different types of meetings (e.g., work, personal), but as a whole, meetings have many factors that can help or hinder the effectiveness of their outcome.
For the sake of this article, I will use the word "meeting" to refer to all types of gatherings:
- Work meetings
- Personal meetings
- General meetings (e.g., for brainstorming and idea sharing)
- Community or local groups
- Any type meeting that requires critical thinking and problem solving
## Characteristics of Effective Meetings ##
The characteristics of effective meetings are:
1. A meeting with diverse participants can produce a more creative and efficient outcome compared to a monologued meeting.
In effective meetings, the people participating are given an opportunity to have their own input and ideas about what is going on before the formal agenda is introduced. This allows each person to have an opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the outcome of the meeting. A highly diverse team will make better decisions than a monologued team because of all of the different perspectives to which everyone can contribute.
2. Use visual aids, group dynamics, and brainstorming effectively in order to connect with people at different levels of understanding or expertise.
Ineffective meetings can often be plagued by miscommunication and lack of understanding in the room. This can happen when the meeting is not run in a manner that allows for everyone to share their thoughts, ideas, and observations about what is going on. One of the best strategies for being able to relay information is through a visual aid. Even though you may feel awkward using one, it really does help you connect with people who may have different levels of understanding about the topic and therefore different contributions to make. The next best way to communicate effectively is through group dynamics. When you use group dynamics effectively during your meeting, there will be more shared meaning and understanding within a group as well as among groups in order allow various points of view to be expressed. Lastly, another way to facilitate this communication is by incorporating brainstorming into your meeting. Everyone will speak up and make their thoughts/thoughts known in a more open environment as opposed to a monologued environment. This can help everyone get involved in the meeting in a meaningful way, and it will make the possibilities of being able to produce a creative outcome larger than if you were just sitting there monologuing.
3. Be mindful of who is participating in the meeting.
When you have diverse participants, one of them may feel uncomfortable speaking up or contributing ideas that they may have that are important to the topic at hand. Keep an eye out for this and accommodate as needed!
4. Make an agenda that is on point and doesn't use excessive information.
Ineffective meetings can be a result of using an agenda that doesn't give enough direction for the participants. Make your agenda specific to what you are trying to get out of the meeting so that everyone is on the same page. If it is a brainstorming or idea-sharing meeting, make sure to tell them! Don't make assumptions that they have the same understanding as you do about what they are coming to the meeting to talk about.
5. Think critically about your meeting environment and ensure that it is conducive to productivity and comfort.
One thing that you can do in order make your meeting more productive is consider where you choose to hold it. A meeting that is held in an environment that is uncomfortable or distracting to the participants (e.g., loud music, bright lights, bad temperature) can cause a lack of respect for the meeting and it's purpose. A good rule of thumb is to hold your meetings in an environment where the people involved are getting along with each other, and where there won't be a lot of distractions. If you can manage this, your meeting will run more smoothly and will be considered as more important to everyone present.
6. Let everyone contribute meaningfully to the discussion at hand without making any inappropriate judgments about them or their ideas/thoughts/concerns about the topic at hand.
If the entire presentation of ideas is homogenous and not inclusive of diverse voices, people will sit there in the meeting not getting anything out of it (or even worse, get bored with it!). Ineffective meetings can be a result of one person dominating the meeting and talking at length about what they think is important.
7. Use visuals as effectively as possible to maximize understanding and contribute more to the actual outcome of your meeting.
Many articles on this topic will mention to use visuals as well as group dynamics in order to facilitate greater understanding within the group.
Conclusion
Want to have a more productive meeting? Keep these tips in mind when you're holding it and you should do well! For more information on effective meetings, check out some of the following articles:
http://faculty.washington.edu/daniel_calderone/TC_TeamBuilding_0805.html
http://www.maggiesworkshop.com/blog/multimedia-strategies-speaking-groups#content_71791
1) http://faculty.washington.edu/daniel_calderone/TC_TeamBuilding_0805.html
2) http://www.maggiesworkshop.