Meetings. We like to do it in our little polder country. Like it, and above all a lot. Although intended to solve problems and make decisions together, they often achieve the opposite. A meeting culture takes up a lot of time and causes more problems rather than fewer. You probably know the feeling: meetings that last hours, while they could actually only take an hour. Ask an average employee what his biggest frustration is, and there is a good chance that meetings will be on the list of nominees. Are your meetings effective?
Meetings and effective meeting
Our meetings are therefore often a source of irritation and cost more time than they save. Effective meetings can save and generate money. The biggest problem is that meetings often lack structure. We enter the meeting completely unprepared together with colleagues, without knowing exactly what will be discussed, what the goal is, what the outcome should be and who will speak. The result: our meetings are often more about how and what will be discussed, rather than taking the actual topic by the horns. By adding more structure to the process, you get meetings that DO yield results. We would like to share with you some tips from our years of experience.
Tips for effective meetings
A strict agenda and preparation
If an agenda is missing, the participants cannot prepare and there is no common thread to stick to. The result is that the meeting will last longer than necessary due to a lack of structure. So make sure that the leader of the meeting always sends out an agenda no later than 2 days before the meeting.
Organisation
Many office buildings have a shortage of meeting space. Reservations are often forgotten. In order to hold effective meetings, logistics must be arranged. How often do you experience that you and your colleagues spend 10 minutes looking for a space? This is all at the expense of your meeting time.
Grab your stopwatch
A meeting should never last longer than 60 to 90 minutes. We simply cannot maintain our concentration for that long. Grab a clock and start the stopwatch. This forces you to be effective and focus on the priorities.
Meeting standing
We've been sitting all day. The same goes for meetings. Half of the team leans back in the chair, which does not exactly promote the effectiveness and interaction of your meeting. So hold meetings while standing, it really works. Moreover, it is much better for your body!
The 'emotion' round
The issues of the day bring with them many emotions in the office. Euphoria, frustration, irritation, stress. Meetings are often used to express these emotions. Of course it is important to express emotions, but it is not useful to do this during the entire meeting. Therefore, start or end the meeting with an 'emotion round' in which everyone can express themselves.
Make a wrap up
We met for a few hours, discussed everything, and then parted ways and no longer really knew what was discussed or who was given which tasks. Rarely are concrete agreements made at the end of the meeting. It is wise to task someone with creating a wrap-up that lists the action points for each person. A kind of summary, including division of tasks and planning.
Leadership begins with self-knowledge
Effective leaders know their own strengths and weaknesses. They know when to steer and when to let go. This self-knowledge does not come automatically, but requires conscious reflection and a willingness to receive feedback. Regularly ask your team how they experience your leadership and take their input seriously.
A common mistake made by leaders is thinking that they must have the answer to everything. In reality, the best leaders are those who ask the right questions, give space to the expertise of their team members, and dare to admit when they do not know something. That is not weakness, but strength.
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