Corporate culture breeds meetings. The more meetings that require your attendance, the less time you have to spend doing your work and answering all of those emails. Here are 5 quick ways to change how you think about doing meetings:
- Re-evaluate your meeting duration. Often when creating a meeting, you go with a one-hour time slot because that’s what your calendar software’s default is. Rethink this. Could you get by with a 45- or even 30-minute time-slot? Many times the answer is yes.
- If you have control over your calendar, aim to schedule meetings (in-person and phone) on a particular day all in the morning or all in the afternoon, keeping the other half of the day open for project work.
- Designate one day of the week as a No-Meetings Day. Avoid scheduling both in-person and phone meetings which will drastically free up bigger chunks of time. Kudos to you if you can get others in your department or company to join you.
- Get rid of the chairs. Some companies are now providing meeting spaces with high-top tables – the kind used at cocktail receptions. When people know they’ll be standing they come prepared to report in and make decisions. It’s amazing how quickly a meeting goes when everyone is anxious to get back to their desk chair.
- Finally, when running a meeting, be a respecter of others’ time. Always start your meeting on time and be known for finishing a few minutes early.
By Jaynie Schultz September 10, 2015 - 12:58 pm
These are some great tips. I especially like the idea of standup meetings outlined in #4. Having a set agenda for your meetings also helps to set expectations, and keep everyone on task and on schedule.