HOW TO MAKE YOUR MEETINGS EFFECTIVE?

According to a survey carried out in April by OpinionWay, French employees spend an average of 4.5 hours a week in meetings, and more than double that for managers. However, barely 52% of these meetings are considered to be effective, and 26% of employees find their presence useless. So how can we combat this acute reunionite syndrome and make meetings effective? Find out with Choose and Work.

Define precise objectives

In order to generate interest and therefore commitment from its participants, a meeting must be relevant. It is therefore useless to organize a meeting every Monday if you have nothing to say! It will be a waste of time and money. The ideal is therefore to define precise objectives and an agenda. Detail the topics covered to optimize your time management, and avoid meetings lasting more than two hours.

Target the right participants

To combat boredom and disinterest in your audience, make sure you invite the right participants. It is useless to mobilize all your teams if the employees present are not concerned by the issues discussed. To avoid yawning and other expressions of annoyance, you should therefore choose the participants carefully, avoiding more than ten people per meeting. And let them know in advance of the meeting and its agenda so that they are well prepared. The dynamics of exchange will be all the more effective.

Choosing the right niche and the right place

The time and location of your meetings are critical to their success. A piece of advice: organize your meetings in the morning, when the brain is well alert, and banish the post-digestion time slot (from 2 to 4 p.m.), during which attention tends to wane…

The choice of a suitable room is also essential: choose rooms with daylight and soundproofing, and opt for a U-shaped configuration to place the facilitator at the center of the group. There are platforms, such as Choose and Work, which offer a wide range of services, either included or on demand: Wi-Fi, broadband, soft drinks, etc.

Animation, a key element

The attitude of the facilitator plays a key role in the effectiveness of a meeting. Be dynamic, efficient and a good listener. The first thing is to start on time and not hesitate to refuse latecomers.

Another tip: Before you start your meeting, clearly state the TOP, i.e., the Theme, Objective and Meeting Plan so that everyone can find their way around.

As a facilitator, you should also encourage participation and interactivity among your collaborators. Be a time keeper, and don’t hesitate to take over to refocus the discussions if one of your colleagues gets overwhelmed by the meeting’s organization.

Summarize the results

As the facilitator, you will need to summarize, orally, the key points discussed during the meeting and the decisions made. You should also clarify everyone’s role for the next item.

Finally, within 24 hours, provide an accurate and concise summary of what was said during the session.

With these tips, you should fight acute reunionitis and make your meetings more productive!