We all know the truth: meetings can go on and on. And it’s not uncommon for everyone in the room to be wondering the same thing: why am I even here? With the rise of collaborative workspaces, meetings now fill more hours in the workday than ever before – yet most employees consider them a waste of time.
According to Forbes, people spend six to eight hours a week in meetings – while 69% feel meetings aren’t actually productive. Here are new ways to run effective, efficient meetings that will leave your employees feeling energised and excited:
Kick the chair
Stand-up meetings, also known as daily scrums, have become a core ritual of highly effective teams around the globe. They’re quick daily meetings kept between five and fifteen minutes long. Participants stand as a reminder to keep the meeting short and to-the-point.
Team members take turns speaking, sometimes passing around an item that gives them the power to speak. Each member reviews progress since the last meeting, anticipated work and any challenges on projects – taking the opportunity to ask for help or collaborate.
Table-less meetings
Instead of meeting around a table, simply put the required number of chairs in a circle with nothing in the middle. Seating people in a circle signals everyone is equal. It’s democratic, unlike the traditional meeting table, where the most senior member sits at the head. This allows free flow of ideas and communication.
These meetings allow attendees to move around if they want, instead of being stationary. It increases participation – staying sedentary behind a table means employees slump and hide throughout the meeting, reply to emails or check social media.
Banish the boardroom
Most employees resent having to sit in one place for a long period of time. As a result, they get antsy, tune out and end up not contributing or engaging as much – making meeting times longer. Sometimes when a meeting has multiple action items and decisions to be made, it’s best to uproot the team and take it elsewhere outside (weather permitting) or to a coffee shop.
Instead of feeling cramped and restless, employees may be inspired by the change in scenery which could spike creativity and make meetings more productive.
Tap into tech
The growing trend towards a mobile workforce makes face-to-face meetings redundant to a large degree. Try hosting virtual meetings via phone and video. People can participate from various locations, using smart phones or tablets to log into a central meeting site, like Skype. It also helps to cut travel time and costs.
As cutting-edge and visually provocative as PowerPoint presentations were a decade ago, today they tend to lull employees to sleep. Businesses should rather make use of new innovative meeting technology, like interactive whiteboards.
Digital whiteboards, available through Nashua, reduce meeting time and boost productivity. A MultiTouch Interactive Whiteboard allows users to directly interact with and share information – no matter the meeting format. Information and content can easily be analysed and modified in real time, increasing the free flow of information. It’s about using cutting-edge innovation to make modern meetings work smarter, not harder.
Badly run meetings not only waste time, money and company resources but leave employees uninspired and demotivated. Managers should continuously experiment with ways to cut meeting time and make them more exciting to boost creativity and productivity.
Leading business solutions provider Nashua, shares the latest tips for offices, employees and efficiency. For an opportunity to speak to someone at Nashua about business solutions, email nthabiseng@gullanandgullan.com. For more information, visit www.nashua.co.za.
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