Do you quietly suffer from meetings that are too long, too frequent, or lacking a clear purpose? Are the wrong people in attendance or do participants fail to complete the tasks they have committed to? Poorly run meetings are costing you and your company far more than you think.

In a workshop on effective meeting skills, you may complete an exercise calculating the cost of the meeting. Typically, you multiply the duration of the meeting by an hourly rate and multiply by the number of meetings held during the year. For those who travel, you add travel costs as well. While this number can be staggering, it just scratches the surface.

There are three other costs from poor meetings:

• Opportunity cost: the lost productivity or value-added contributions made by participants because of inefficient or ineffective meetings (usually 3 to 10 times what a person earns)
• Deferred benefit from projects: not realizing the cost savings or profit improvement that will result from projects if they were completed in a more timely or effective manner
• Frustration of Participants/Attendees: reduced morale and attitude which results in people being late or missing meetings altogether. They may also lose respect for the meeting chair. People are often inaccessible to others while they are in a meeting creating a domino effect of lost productivity.

What meeting sins are committed at your organization? Use this handy checklist:

Meetings not starting on-time

Meeting duration not defined

The right people not being at the meeting or being late

No agenda, or agenda not shared in advance

Unclear purpose or objectives for the meeting

No evaluation of the meeting process, its effectiveness

Participants not prepared for the meeting/completing tasks

Meeting leader not keeping meeting on track

Poor project management skills

No summary or documentation of the meeting

If you have checked off a number of problems above, begin to think about the cost to your organization. Remember, while people are in meetings, they are not doing their job. That’s not to say that meetings should be abolished, just that they should be productive and meaningful.

Meetings Should not be a Solution for Laziness

Routine meetings are called because managers find them convenient as a dumping ground to cover off a number of topics in one shot. People begin to think that it’s only convenient for the manager and really not value-added to the team. Some meetings become institutions unto themselves, when people should really be asking, “Do we really need a meeting?”

Consider Alternatives to Meetings

A meeting is an opportunity to collaborate with colleagues, solve problems, develop plans and debate decisions. In many cases a meeting can be avoided – just having small group discussions around very specific topics can often deal with an issue in a few minutes rather than spending 20 minutes on it in a formal meeting.

Other communication methods may be more appropriate than a meeting: sending a memo or email, one-on-one meetings, or a quick phone call.

What You Can Do To Improve Meetings In Your Company

Don’t passively endure bad meetings – tactfully raise the question about the appropriateness and effectiveness of the meeting.

Pre-meeting activities - Do you really need a meeting? Alternatives & selecting the best method - Purpose of the meeting and expected outcome - Structuring the agenda – start, end times, sequencing agenda items - Who should be invited and what role will they play? - Sending the agenda in advance and setting expectations of participants (or establishing at the start of a meeting)

Effective Meeting Leadership - Starting on time & managing time - Confirming purpose, expected outcome & agenda - Managing discussion, staying on track and dealing with tangents - Holding people accountable for their contribution - Assigning follow-up tasks & gaining commitment - Preparing the meeting summary

Post-meeting activities - Evaluation of the meeting process - Circulation of meeting summary - Follow-up on assigned tasks

Contact Unique Training & Development using the email link below or by phone to discuss how we can improve the meeting effectiveness of your team. (800)622-6437 or (519)685-2116 or info@uniquedevelopment.com