This post is sponsored by join.me by LogMeIn.
Those who have taken a look at their calendar lately know that meetings are on the rise. We have meetings to make plans, to collaborate, and to communicate - all of which becomes even more important as companies add satellite offices and allow employees to work from home.
Still, many employees gripe about wasting valuable time and energy in meetings. And the amount of time wasted is adding up. According to a study by Ovum and join.me by LogMeIn, senior executives lose an average of five full days and 19 hours every year waiting for late meetings to start. As companies try to be more engaging and productive, the way they conduct meetings needs to follow suit. They need to adapt to a younger, more collaborative workforce accustomed to ad hoc and virtual meetings.
Here are join.me's five ways to make meetings more productive and cut down on all that lost time.
1. Let go of the process and focus on the outcome. There's no reason all meetings should be structured the same way every time, especially if they're impromptu meetings. Similarly, giving a meeting a 60-minute slot doesn't mean the entire hour always needs to be filled. Instead of being hung up on the order of things, focus on what you're trying to accomplish and adjust the meeting format accordingly. If there's a key item that needs to be discussed, lead with that and save the other agenda items for after it's been resolved.
2. Fix the technical problems. How many times have you had trouble joining a meeting because of the wrong dial-in number? According to the study, there are five major contributing factors to why meetings are delayed. Technical difficulties with software, bad conferencing information, required software updates, not knowing who has joined the meeting, and complicated or incorrect dial-ins can all lead to a lot of thumb-twiddling and frustration.
Companies can eliminate those headaches by leveraging tools like join.me, which provides instant and intuitive online meetings, complete with audio and screen-sharing, with no downloads required.
3. Keep it small and flexible. When you're setting up a meeting, it's tempting to include everyone who's ever had anything to do with the project. But when the list of attendees keeps growing and there are too many people involved, it can be tough to reach a quick decision. More companies are moving away from large, formal meetings in favor of smaller, laid-back sessions to discuss specific goals. Limiting the number of people required to attend allows for more flexibility in scheduling and can make conversations more effective.
4. Make it fun. A dry lecture or lengthy PowerPoint presentation can turn anyone's brain into mush, so boost morale by getting creative in your meetings. Inject some levity and humor by telling a joke or showing interesting visuals to introduce an agenda item. You can also call on people who usually stay quiet to keep them on their toes. Give your employees reasons to stay alert and invested in meetings.
5. Break up cliques. Collaboration should be the focal point of any meeting, but it's hard to exchange ideas with someone you barely know. Switch up the seating and encourage everyone to interact with new people both during and after the meeting.
Make meetings more productive with these five tips, and you'll be on your way to getting five days back. Enter to win a 5-Day Dream Getaway, sponsored by join.me.
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