Six Ways to Gain Greater Productivity from Mandatory Meetings

Today's work environment contains higher stress levels than ever before with longer work hours. Multiple meetings there are still mandated. These long-winded meetings eat up work time and create higher levels of stress for employees, who then have to complete their work after hours.

There are some companies who use the format of 'action meetings' where they are agenda driven to focus on the most critical items and where the time limits are strictly adhered to. Even if you don't administrate the meeting and it's agenda, you can keep your own part short by offering a hand out to economize on time. Not every meeting has to address every issue. Sometimes, only the main team members will attend mini-meetings.

Here are six tips to make your meetings more productive.

1. Only schedule smart meetings. Don't schedule meetings unless they actually can solve a problem. Are there three problems that can only be solved with a meeting? If so, make those three problems your agenda, and distribute the agenda well in advance of the meeting. This will allow all involved to have ample time to come prepared with possible solutions.

3. Set time limits. Keep your meetings short, and to the point. Stick with your promises to end your meeting when you said it would end. If you did not meet your goals within that time, study what happened to ensure your next meeting will be more productive.

4. Allow no distractions. Mandate that all cell phones, laptops and other electronic devices be turned off. This will force participants to focus without distractions.

5. Create an escape hatch. Announce at the start of your meeting that issues not resolved or questions remaining can be addressed by a five-minute follow-up meeting involving only interested parties, an e-mail exchange, or a telephone call. Announcing your follow-up plan at the start of the meeting will help you end all meetings on time.

6. Be prepared. Whether you are giving a meeting or going to a meeting, do your homework in advance. If you don't know what will be addressed, ask well in advance.

If your workplace operates at high-stress, you can make your meetings more productive by introducing the concept of action meetings to your boss or his admin before the next one is scheduled in an attempt to try out these techniques. You might even provide a copy of this article to back yourself up!

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