How to Lead Team Meetings in the Most Productive Way

Author: Mark Pettit / Source: Lifehack

During a busy week, the last thing a leader or manager wants is a wasted hour or two sat in an unproductive meeting.

If I asked you what the most efficient way to be inefficient would be, I’m sure many of you would say “bad meetings.”

Meetings today consume more work hours than ever before.

Today, leaders spend about half their week in meetings.^[1] According to research from TED a third of that time is wasted on pointless, badly run meetings.

A survey from Clarizen reported that workers consider status meetings a waste of time and that almost 50% of respondents would rather go to the DMV or watch paint dry.^[2]

In an article for Harvard Business Review,^[3] three consultants from Bain report the results of an exercise in which they analyzed the Outlook schedules of the employees of an unnamed “large company” – and concluded that one weekly executive meeting took up 300,000 hours a year.

And that total, the authors write, “doesn’t include the work time spent preparing for meetings”.

How many meetings have you attended where there was no clear agenda or objective?

How many of you have sat in meetings that jumped around from topic to topic with no clear action plan at the end of the meeting?

If you’ve left meetings more confused than when you arrived, please raise your hand.

Meetings don’t have to be something we dread and endure. They don’t have to be something we drift in and out of.

We have to find ways for meetings to be far more intentional, energising and productive, that deliver real, tangible results.

So how to lead team meetings more productively?

Here are 10 ways that leaders and managers can start leading team meetings that are productive and effective, and beneficial for everyone involved:

1. Frame Each Meeting in a Positive Way

To get everyone in the room in a positive mindset and energised for the meeting, a great starting point is to get everyone in the room to share something they’ve made progress on or are excited about.

This immediately sets the tone and direction of the entire meeting.

Rather than people being in a negative mindset about having to attend the meeting, they come from a place of positivity, contribution and positivity.

2. Have a Clear Leader in The Room

Whatever the purpose of the meeting, someone in the room has to take charge of directing and leading the meeting.

This person will set the agenda for the meeting, make sure it doesn’t go off topic and will ensure the meeting stays within an agreed timeframe.

They will often report on progress, give clarity on what needs to happen after the meeting, and get commitment from people in the meeting on future actions steps.

If there is no-one taking control, people with the biggest personalities or biggest opinions can dominate and stop quieter personalities from contributing.

3. Have the Right People in the Room

Think back to the last great meeting you were in… Was the meeting full of people “making up the numbers’” or was it full of people who were contributing and providing input?

I’m guessing it was the latter.

To lead a really productive meeting, take time to consider who will be involved.

You want people in the room who will add value, who are active contributors, have background knowledge, are decision makers, are action takers and who will be directly impacted by the outcome of the meeting.

Be wary of filling the room, unless you absolutely have to, with people whose motivation for being there is either status or a fear of missing out on something.

Focus on getting people in the meeting room who will bring productive contribution, not passive bystanders.

If you have the autonomy to arrange your meetings however you like, focus on doing it so they deliver the most productive results.