We are aware of the importance of the meetings of groups, clients and work teams in the correct performance of our tasks.
Sometimes, these meetings are too long, or focus on issues that do not interest us, so it may happen that we have the impression of having been wasting time.
We must keep in mind that the time that the meetings last is money that we invest, we just have to multiply the number of people who participate by what each person charges in an hour and for the duration in hours of the meeting, the effectiveness of The meeting depends on whether it really is an investment or becomes an expense.
There are a number of things we can do to make our meetings effective:
- Make a specific «agenda», where possible, in which all the people involved have a clear idea of what is going to work and what is their role in the meeting. This includes what documentation or report is expected to be provided.
- Timing the different points, and meet the schedule, if a topic is festering and we do not find a solution, it is better to leave it for another time. A meeting that exceeds 90 minutes of total duration is not effective.
- Doing the meeting in a workplace, informal meetings in a bar or in a room dedicated to leisure, are positive to create a good climate among the staff, but not to solve and plan.
- To think if it is essential that all the people are during the whole meeting or it is enough that their participation is punctual, we will save time and effort of ours and of the team. Ideally, a number between 5 and 7 people maximum, to encourage participation and involvement of all.
- Finish always with a summary of what has been discussed, making it very clear what is expected and when of each participant.
If we follow these points our meetings will be efficient, effective and profitable. We always keep this in mind when we meet at Lefty Garage.