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I have spent a lot of time in meetings that aren’t relevant for me. Sometimes I even listen to team meetings about projects I am not involved in.
I will admit that I do check my email and Facebook during the boring parts.
How can you make your meetings relevant for everyone?
There are many options depending on which one of the 5 types of project meetings it is.
Allow people to bring work to your meeting. They can switch off if the discussion is about their tasks or projects.
Core meeting attendees take part in the entire meeting. You can also call in other people as and when you need them.
Each group should have its own meeting.
Each of these options has its advantages and disadvantages. For me, the answer is clear: none are ideal. Therefore, it’s impossible to make the meeting relevant for everyone.
You should make it as relevant as possible.
Knowledge sharing is promoted by shared meetings
Personal choice: I would choose option 1.
Boredom has its disadvantages, but they can be a benefit to collaboration and side conversations.
Team members have shared many useful pieces of information by looking up from their laptops while they listen to a conversation that was not intended for them.
Even if they have nothing to add to the discussion, my project teams find it useful to be in the same room or on a conference call together. It helps them feel more connected with the organization and to see their work within a larger context.
If you asked your project team members if they enjoyed being part of a larger team meeting, I would expect that the majority would answer yes.
Your meetings should be productive
Begin the meeting by identifying those who have critical work to do or who need to be present for other meetings. Then, discuss topics that are relevant to them. If they need to, let them go.
Everyone else attends the meeting, participating in knowledge sharing when appropriate and performing quiet tasks when they are not involved in the discussion.
This approach relies on trusting your team and understanding their work so that they don’t all claim they have critical tasks and are not forced to sit through the boring parts of the meeting.
Ground rules for quiet work
You should establish ground rules if you allow teams to work in areas that are not related to their tasks or projects. No calls, no tapping on the keyboards, and no headphones.
It is possible to place the different workstreams or technical teams together, so that people who are trying to be part of the team aren’t distracted from those on the other side scrolling through email.
You can also take a look to buzzword bingo and make some cards for everyone. It can keep everyone in the room engaged while the main discussion goes on. I find it entertaining, especially if there’s a prize!
To increase productivity, reduce meetings
You can also alternate the meetings each week if you feel that one large meeting is still not productive. You can hold a team meeting with everyone once a week.
The next week, hold shorter meetings with different teams or individuals. Collaboration, fostering teamwork, networking, and knowledge sharing will all be possible. The meetings will be held twice per month, with focussed status updates or review sessions.
More resources to ensure successful meetings
I also recently read How To Be A Productivity Ninja. Although it’s not about meeting, I found some useful information in the book about prioritizing tasks and getting more done (by not going on meetings).
