Efficiently Utilizing Time in Meetings: Key Strategies to Make Them Productive

Supervising or leading a group of people or an organization. - Efficiently Make Meetings Time Well-Spent: Insights to Boost Productivity

In productive gatherings, they're similar to healthy diets: everyone understands the damages in theory, yet they rarely change. However, unproductive and unneeded assemblies don't only waste time, warns Oliver Mattmann, CEO of Peter Beglinger Training AG in Zug, Switzerland. "Unproductive and repetitive assemblies can also harm the corporate culture," he cautions. If inactivity is accepted, it demotivates employees and managers alike.

It appears that irritating assemblies aren't just an issue for Generation Z's young folks. "Even older people are frustrated by too numerous, unnecessary, or repetitive assemblies. This is an ageless concern," stresses Mattmann. And the predicament amplifies, considering one simple truth. "To accomplish results, we have less and less working hours accessible," says the Swiss, whose father used to work 55 hours per week with just two weeks of vacation annually.

Hence, it's even more crucial to drastically cut down the meeting calendar. Only information events can be stricken outright, says Stephan Hofer, professor of production organization and quality management at ESB Business School in Reutlingen. He and Mattmann have co-written the guide "In 7 Steps to Meeting Champion: A Business Novel."

Tips for Effective Meetings

Regardless of a company's size or industry - the specialists state that certain standards must be met by any assembly:

No meeting begins without an agenda, minutes, and objective setting. "Ninety percent of meeting success is planning," say the authors.
At least three working days ahead, all documents are delivered to the participants.
No "meeting tourists" are permitted - only guests are invited who can particularly contribute to the assembly or moderate it.
Anyone who cannot consistently avoid interruptions (phone, computer) should stay away from the assembly.
Items like "Various, Other, Various" no longer have a spot on the agenda. "It's only the trash bin for unplanned topics," convince Hofer and Mattmann.
Every assembly ends with a specific arrangement. The minimum requirement: who does what by when?

It may seem simple. But why is it so hard to put into practice? Seems like there's still a lack of awareness about the issue. This is shown by a study recently commissioned by Mattmann's firm for the Swiss Economiesuisse Association. One fourth of the 532 respondents declared that the meeting culture of their company is seldom questioned. Only 11% took on the question of how to improve meetings at least once a month.

The study also demonstrates: Most assemblies occur spontaneously and on the fly. Here, it's wise to establish a fixed format for such themes, according to the authors. "Our experience shows that recurring and regular assemblies are much easier to optimize," they say. Per the experts, the principle applies: short and frequent: "Therefore, it's better to discuss tasks and objectives with the team every day for 15 minutes instead of spending 120 minutes in a room every two weeks and still not reaching a decision."

According to Höfer and Mattmann, the efficiency of an assembly can definitely be measured. One process is the "MEGA" value (Meeting Goal Achievement). Participants are inquired if, in their opinion, the goal of the assembly was achieved. They can only assign 0 or 100%. The average value indicates the overall success of the gathering. The specialists propose that the most significant assemblies (approximately 20% of all sessions) be assessed according to their quality. A possible target might be to increase the "MEGA" value by 25% within three months.

Effective assemblies are not just the responsibility of the individual organizing them. For a healthy meeting culture, Mattmann and Höfer provide these tips:

Each participant feels responsible for reaching the assembly's target faster and in better quality.
At the end of each assembly, the question is asked: what can we change and enhance immediately at the next assembly?
A fixed period is designated for enhancing assembly culture in the team, for instance, half a day each month.
"Consistency is key: Do not accept invitations to assemblies where the agenda, purpose, and protocol are missing," say the authors.

Ultimately, it's the leadership that dictates the quality of assemblies. "If a sloppy assembly culture is demonstrated by leaders, it will spread across the company," warns Mattmann. He observes: Even many senior executives moderate assemblies ineffectively. Nonetheless, training in this domain is frequently overlooked. Training can help preserve the advancements in assembly culture. "This isn't a self-starter, but a leadership responsibility," insists the coach.