Do you think of meetings as a waste of your company’s time and energy? Meetings can be the backbone of any well run organization. They can also be a time waster that leads a good business down the pathway to disorganization and lost opportunities.
How you as the captain of your small ship use the time spent in meetings can have a huge impact on the entire organization in the long run. Having the right tools to keep meetings on topic, on time and a way to solve problems instead of creating them goes a long way towards turning meetings into a key part of your business instead of a time waster.
Using a meeting room manager to ensure everyone who shows up is on time, has what they need to be productive and knows what to expect is just one way to turn this around.
Creating a Sense of Unity
It all starts with deciding when you actually need a meeting and when a short “hall conference” between key players might get more accomplished. Meetings can be productive when they are well thought out, planned with an end goal in mind, and present a problem that only the group can solve.
When your meeting meets all of these criteria, setting out the goals and needs in an email through your meeting room manager software will get everyone on the same page immediately. This is the first step towards creating a meeting that has a united sense of purpose.
Staying the Course
A meeting can quickly be led astray by just one person veering off course in the discussion. This is why it is important that the meeting organizer keeps the direction of the meeting on course at all times. Having a clear sense of how long to spend on each topic in the agenda is a good way to do this.
When the agenda is sent out ahead of time via the meeting room manager announcement, topics can be set aside that might send the meeting members on the wrong path. Creating a clear well-thought out meeting agenda will help to keep the meeting on course and on time.
Meeting Room Manager Rules
Just as it is important to use your software to create expectations for the meeting, it is also important to not overuse the software before the meeting. If you leave the agenda open enough to introduce solutions not obvious when planning, you gain the advantage of the meeting of the minds.
While you may have, and should have, a clear objective for the meeting, be ready for changes as the meeting unfolds. This may mean not letting the restrictions of the meeting room manager software limit what you cover or how you address it. But by keeping to the time constrains outlined in your meeting agenda you can sometimes push meeting attendees to stay focused on the needs of the meeting and perhaps make better decisions and create concise solutions.
As the CEO of your own small business you can shape how your meetings can either help the company to grow or get in it’s way. Which do you want for your company when it comes to planning growth?
