Running a successful business meeting is an essential skill for small business owners. Meetings provide...
Running a successful business meeting is an essential skill for small business owners. Meetings provide an opportunity to align your team, brainstorm ideas and address challenges. However, poorly managed meetings can waste time and leave participants frustrated. Here are five tips for running effective and impactful business meetings with your team.
1. Plan with purpose
Every successful meeting starts with a clear purpose. Before scheduling, ask yourself:
- What do I want to accomplish?
- Is a meeting the best way to achieve this?
Once you’ve determined the purpose, create a detailed agenda and share it with attendees ahead of time. Include the topics to be discussed, the order of discussion and time allocations for each point. For example:
- Welcome and updates (5 minutes)
- Discuss project progress (15 minutes)
- Brainstorm marketing strategies (20 minutes)
- Assign action items (10 minutes)
An agenda keeps everyone focused and ensures that critical points are addressed without too much tangential wandering.
2. Keep it small and relevant
Inviting too many people to a meeting can dilute its effectiveness. Limit attendance to those who are directly involved in the topics being discussed. A smaller and focused group encourages more meaningful contributions. For larger teams, consider sharing updates via email or hosting smaller breakout meetings for specific topics.
Pro Tip: Apply the “two-pizza rule” to your meetings to determine if they’re too large. If two pizzas aren’t enough to feed everyone in the room, your meeting group is too big!
3. Use time wisely
Respecting everyone’s time is crucial for running an effective meeting. Start on time, even if all attendees have not yet arrived, and stick to the schedule.
Tips for managing time:
- Set expectations. Make an end time for the meeting and let everyone know about it so they know at the beginning how long the meeting will last. And stick to that time limit!
- Encourage conciseness. Ask participants to be brief and to the point when sharing updates or ideas.
- Timekeeper role. Designate someone to monitor time and alert the group when discussions are running over.
If a topic requires extensive discussion, schedule a separate meeting or assign a small group to tackle the issue at another time. This will help prevent long-winded debates from derailing the agenda.
4. Encourage engagement
Meetings shouldn’t be monologues. Encourage active participation by fostering an inclusive environment where all team members feel comfortable sharing their ideas.
Here’s how to boost engagement:
- Ask open-ended questions. Encourage brainstorming by asking questions like, “How can we improve this process?” or “What challenges do you foresee?”
- Rotate roles. Give team members opportunities to lead parts of the meeting. This keeps the energy fresh and encourages ownership among the team.
- Use technology. For remote meetings, utilize tools like polls, chat functions or shared whiteboards to keep everyone involved.
Be mindful of quieter team members and create opportunities for them to contribute. For example, you can follow up with individuals who may be hesitant to speak up during the meeting.
5. End with actionable next steps
A productive meeting concludes with clear takeaways and actionable items. Summarize key points discussed and assign tasks to specific individuals or teams, complete with deadlines.
For example:
- “Sean will finalize the marketing plan by next Friday.”
- “Sarah will review the budget and provide feedback by Tuesday.”
Document these assignments in meeting minutes or a follow-up email to ensure accountability. A lack of clarity at the end of a meeting can lead to confusion and stalled progress, so this step is critical.
Bonus tips
Here are some extra tips for ensuring the perfect meeting:
- Test your tech. If you’re hosting a virtual meeting, test your platform, microphone and camera beforehand. Technical glitches can disrupt the flow and waste valuable time.
- Avoid overloading. Before scheduling another meeting, consider whether a quick email, message or call would suffice instead.
- Celebrate wins. Recognize team achievements during meetings to boost morale and engagement.
Running the perfect business meeting is easier than you think! Use these tips to take your team meetings to the next level.
