Meetings present the opportunity for people to come together to share ideas, learn from each other and move things forward.

At the same time, they can become a huge drain on resources.

So what can you do to improve meeting efficiency?

1. Make sure the purpose is clear.
2. Have an agenda with allocated time slots for each item.
3. Stop the discussion once the allocated time has elapsed.
4. Make sure that people are clear on what should and what should not be brought to meetings.
5. Teach people to listen effectively and use questions to clarify.
6. Make the meetings solution focussed.
7. Keep a record of action points rather than lengthy minutes.
8. Follow up progress between meetings and ask people to give brief updates in the meetings.
9. Have a clear start and end time.
10. Challenge whether you could use technology to improve meeting efficiency and focus.

Truth is, meetings can be a valuable contribution to achieving results or just a drain on resources. What describes your meetings best?

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to achieve success and realize their professional potential through being highly effective leaders and managers. For more information and to sign up for his free audio e-course click here

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