5 secrets to more effective meetings

WWW.SHAPINGCHANGE.COM.AU
A 4-PART SERIES BY ROS CARDINAL
EFFECTIVE
MEETINGS
TIPS FOR A BETTER WORKPLACE

EFFECTIVE
MEETINGS
Ask around the workplace, and most people will admit
the word ‘meeting’ doesn’t typically inspire happy
feelings. On the contrary, the majority of employees
describe meetings as being time-wasters that last too
long and takes them away from their to-do list for the
day.

EFFECTIVE
MEETINGS
But meetings still hold a level of importance in the
workplace. As a team leader, it’s your job to therefore
transform the stigma around meetings and make them
as effective as possible for the benefit of your
employees. Here are 5 secrets to doing just that:

EFFECTIVE
MEETINGS
1. Set an agenda
An agenda can be as simple as a bullet-point list of items that
are to be covered in the meeting or snippets of key information
every attendee needs to know. Ideally, you would distribute an
agenda to your attendees at least one day before the meeting.

EFFECTIVE
MEETINGS
1. Set an agenda
One important thing to note is to include an objective on your
agenda. In other words, what’s the purpose of the meeting? Is it
to discuss an issue, or is to make a decision on an issue (or
both)? Again, this helps your attendees adequately prepare.

EFFECTIVE
MEETINGS
2. Stay on task
One of the reasons meetings are notorious for running long is
because any subject matter introduced during a discussion
tends to become fair-game. As a result, the meeting doesn’t stay
on task and doesn’t adhere to the prepared agenda.

EFFECTIVE
MEETINGS
2. Stay on task
To avoid this, it’s important to guide the discussion and keep it
going in the right direction, with no detours. You might say
something like this: “Thank you for bringing that up, Laura.
However, the sales and marketing reports for last quarter go
beyond the purpose of this meeting..." (continued on next slide)

EFFECTIVE
MEETINGS
2. Stay on task
(continued from previous slide) "...Let me write that down in the
meeting notes, though, so that we can explore that topic at the
right time.”

EFFECTIVE
MEETINGS
3. Consider the attendees
Chances are, not everyone in your workplace will need to be in
every single meeting you hold. If this is the case, there’s nothing
wrong with letting select employees off the hook if the meeting’s
topic doesn’t concern them.

EFFECTIVE
MEETINGS
3. Consider the attendees
If your meeting requires a key person to be present (a manager
or executive, for instance), make sure they’ll be in attendance.
Otherwise, the meeting holds no real purpose, as a significant
decision can’t be made without that person’s presence.

EFFECTIVE
MEETINGS
4. Watch the clock
Again, meetings have a bad reputation for running long. One of
the causes of never-ending meetings is the simple fact that
someone hasn’t been put in charge of managing the time. As a
result, meetings become unfocused and no work gets done.

EFFECTIVE
MEETINGS
4. Watch the clock
Always start your meetings on time and end them on time as
well. Stay organized with your agenda. If certain topics need to
be tabled for later discussion, make a note of them and address
them in a later, follow-up meeting. Most importantly, have
someone serve as time-keeper.

EFFECTIVE
MEETINGS
5. End with clear action items
Perhaps the most important part of a meeting is deciding what
happens next. Make sure that your team members know what
needs to be done, who needs to do it, and when it needs to be
accomplished.

EFFECTIVE
MEETINGS
Meetings should also close with a record of decisions that have
been made. Too many meetings make decisions and they are
never recorded so people forget, or they leave with differing
ideas about what was decided!

EFFECTIVE
MEETINGS
If someone is taking notes during the meeting (which someone
should be), make sure they send out a copy of those notes by
email to everyone who attended, so that everyone has a copy of
the action items and who’s responsible for them, as well as all
decisions that were made during the meeting.

EFFECTIVE
MEETINGS
Meetings, when used effectively, can be excellent tools in the
workplace. They provide a way to dispense important information,
make decisions, and get work done. Using the strategies above, you
can hold meetings that are purpose-filled and beneficial to all parties
involved, ensuring that your workplace stays as productive as
possible.

EFFECTIVE
MEETINGS
Which of the five strategies shared in this presentation will you begin
implementing this week?

EFFECTIVE
MEETINGS
We hope you enjoyed this presentation!
Visit www.shapingchange.com.au for more resources on
leadership development, change management, emotional
intelligence, and more!

5 secrets to more effective meetings

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