Business meetings – they’re part and parcel of any operation. Whether you’re about to launch a new product on the market, seeking new clients to jump on board with your brand, or making important decisions for the company, you’ll want every meeting to go off without a hitch. However, unfortunately, it doesn’t always happen that way.
Unproductive business meetings aren’t uncommon. No one wants attendees to leave the room scratching their heads and not retaining any information that was said in the meeting. To prevent this scenario from becoming a reality for you, here are some expert tips on how to pull off a more engaging and effective business meeting.
Establish Rhythm and Routine
With so much to do and so few employees to do it, regularly scheduled meetings are crucial for all businesses. Whether it’s a monthly brainstorming discussion or a weekly staff meeting, it’s important to create an agreed-upon rhythm that your staff understands and that aligns with your company goals. Unexpected or random meetings make it difficult for employees to come prepared. This can have a crippling effect on productivity levels throughout the meeting.
Structure is more important than anything when hosting a business meeting. When it’s clear what the meeting will be about and where it’s held, this will make it easier for everyone to manage their time better, so they turn up on time.
Set An Agenda
Before the meeting takes place, you need to establish the purpose of it. Employees need to walk into the room with an idea of what’s going to happen, otherwise, they won’t come best prepared. Whether you want to share important information with your employees, talk about new products, or simply ask for ideas from your team, be clear with your purpose from the offset.
Make a list of the topics you’d like to discuss in the meeting in advance. These can be used at the beginning of your meeting so staff can follow along and stay on board. You need to be organised and in control of the meeting from start to finish, so make sure to set agendas well in advance.
Let Everyone Participate
We’ve all been in meetings where the speaker doesn’t give anyone else a chance to talk! Unfortunately, this can quickly lower spirits and make it difficult to stay engaged. To avoid following suit, you need to let everyone participate and have their say. This is incredibly important in business. After all, it’s your employees who keep the cogs turning! Whether you want their input on a new product or an idea you’ve come up with, getting your employee’s thoughts and opinions is critical for maintaining a healthy workplace culture.
You can use tech to boost interactivity in business meetings too. For instance, why not look into hosting a live word cloud? When you’re asking for ideas and thoughts, employees can speak up, say a few words and you can put them onto the screen. Check out Vevox who can help you create a live word cloud. They have a range of other features that you can use in your business meeting too, such as live polling, quizzes, and surveys.
Don’t Run Over Time
Let’s be honest, no one gets excited about business meetings. Ideally, attendees want them over with as quickly as possible. Bear this in mind when you’re hosting your own. Once you’ve allocated a slot for your business meeting, you need to stick within the timeframes. It can be easy for meetings to run over schedule. However, the longer it goes on for, the more trouble you’ll have keeping everyone engaged.
Remember, your team has other important duties to be getting on with. You need to respect their time and what they do for the business. Once you have a start and end meeting time, stick to them! If you don’t and keep running over, employees are going to dread the next one coming up!
Set the Right Tone and Atmosphere
For your business meeting to run seamlessly, it’s crucial that you set the right tone. You will be in charge of deciding where the meeting should take place. So everyone is engaged, and there are no distractions, we don’t recommend a local coffee shop. Instead, it’s wise to find a purpose-built meeting room so there will be no interruptions.
The atmosphere can make or break a business meeting too. It’s best to pick a location that’s light, airy, and spacious. Should you opt for the tiniest meeting room, attendees may struggle to stay focused! If you’re getting down to business and want proceedings to be formal, the environment you choose plays a big part in this.
Have Fun!
We appreciate that business meetings have a specific purpose. However, you can inject some fun into proceedings too. Why not spice things up by throwing humour into the atmosphere? Encourage attendees to communicate with one another too. If you’re having a serious discussion, you may want to lighten the load after it’s taken place. You could play a fun interactive game that allows everyone to let off steam.
If you make a joke or two in the meeting, this can actually be a good thing for productivity. Should an employee be having difficulty concentrating, making them chuckle can bring them back into the room and stuck into what’s being said.
Keep An Open Mind
While we understand you’ll want your business meeting to go exactly how you envisaged, things can spiral out of control, even if you’ve planned everything down to a T. This is ok! While you should stick to your agenda, if things slide slightly off-topic, try and keep an open mind and let nature take its course.
For example, an employee may speak up with an idea that you weren’t expecting. Rather than shutting them down or not taking what they say on board, be open to other suggestions and points of view. This is a great way to show how much you respect and value your team. It will also do a great deal for boosting morale too.
Make Time for Questions
After you’ve said your piece, it’s time to open the floor and allow questions from attendees. This gives everyone in the room a chance to say what’s on their mind or if they require clarification on a matter. Questions wake people up and prompt new ideas, which can only be a good thing for your business.
Try and prepare yourself for any questions that come your way. You don’t want to be caught off guard! Give everyone a chance to ask a question too, even if the meeting runs slightly over the allotted time. You may find someone asks a question that helps the whole team.
In a nutshell, business meetings are a crucial aspect of an organisation. They help you keep tabs on your business’s processes and activities, as well as make sure you reach your objectives and goals. For meetings to run swimmingly, it’s wise to take our advice into account. Doing so will help you plan a productive business meeting that employees will learn and benefit from. Once you implement our tips into your planning, we’re confident you’ll pull off a successful business meeting.
Ingrid Maldine is a business writer, editor and management consultant with extensive experience writing and consulting for both start-ups and long established companies. She has ten years management and leadership experience gained at BSkyB in London and Viva Travel Guides in Quito, Ecuador, giving her a depth of insight into innovation in international business. With an MBA from the University of Hull and many years of experience running her own business consultancy, Ingrid’s background allows her to connect with a diverse range of clients, including cutting edge technology and web-based start-ups but also multinationals in need of assistance. Ingrid has played a defining role in shaping organizational strategy for a wide range of different organizations, including for-profit, NGOs and charities. Ingrid has also served on the Board of Directors for the South American Explorers Club in Quito, Ecuador.
