Simple Ways to Make Meeting Time Count so That You Can Get On to Better Things
By Geoff Frank
Scenario 1: The calendar appointment notice pops into your inbox, catching your eye. It’s the kickoff meeting for that new project you’ve wanted to get involved in. You’re excited, already thinking about what your role will be.
Scenario 2: The appointment shows up on your electronic calendar. It’s the same weekly status meeting that you’ve been going to for months. Your eyes glaze over, prompting you to consider which exotic illness might get you out of going this time.
Regardless of your take on attending them, there’s no question that meetings are important business — full of potential, often costly and time-consuming, sometimes boring, and sometimes downright frustrating. The seriousness with which attendees treat the sessions — and their behaviors as they participate — can make a big difference in how much gets accomplished and in the enthusiasm of participants going forward.
“Nobody has a lot of time to sit in meetings. The more efficient we can make our meetings, the more productive we’ll all be.”
A brief search online yields lots of advice about meeting etiquette. One article offers 15 rules, another talks about eight pet peeves, yet another lists 10 tips. We’ll share links to those articles later in this blog, but first we offer some perspective.
As a marketing agency made up of creative people who are passionate about understanding our clients and their needs, Britton Marketing & Design Group has its share of meetings. Lots of meetings. In hopes of making these sessions as productive as possible, BMDG leaders have been thinking a lot lately about meetings — especially the ones in which we launch new projects — and we are trying to do some fine-tuning in our approach to meetings.
Don’t Feel Left Out
“There’s this funny balance,” Sue Britton, BMDG’s chief creative officer and co-owner, said in describing the mix of business, administrative, and creative functions that go into new projects and new-client relationships. “What’s the process from when a client calls to when we get the project and how we kick off the project? Who is involved, what are the stages, and when are the creatives involved?”
“Why block out a whole hour when you really only need half an hour?”
Many BMDG employees want to be in these kickoff meetings to gain a greater understanding of both the project and their involvement in it. The downside is that large group meetings can be very costly, with estimates ranging from several hundred dollars to a couple thousand dollars. And these types of meetings involve a time trade-off when they pull people off ongoing projects, Sue noted. “Who you include in the meeting is variable depending on the content and who needs to be there. They [employees] have to trust that we are going to bring people in at the right points [of the project].”
BMDG president and co-owner Jeff Britton agreed. “The fear of missing out is a modern phenomenon,” he observed. “With so many new clients, it can be hard to know who should be in every meeting.” He encouraged people not to feel left out.
Acknowledging that “sometimes a topic comes up that could benefit someone [who’s] not there,” Jeff said that the agency often records important client conference calls so that employees who weren’t in a meeting can listen to those conversations if necessary.
In addition to these important big-picture kickoff sessions, BMDG also has been discussing various other types of meetings that happen on a regular basis.
To Multitask or Not to Multitask
One of the challenges for an agency like BMDG and many other businesses is dealing with multiple, sometimes conflicting priorities. Proper etiquette, according to many experts, dictates that employees in a meeting give their complete focus to the session topic and turn off computers and cellphones. That can pose a problem for some of our key people.
“Due to the nature of our business, I think it’s too hard to say that [no devices are allowed], because of the urgent deadlines that we need to meet,” Sue said. There are times when being able to respond to a text message can keep work moving, when being able to multitask can free up valuable minutes to give final approval to an urgent project that needs to go out the door before day’s end.
In a recent note to our nearly 50 BMDG employees, Jeff acknowledged the challenge: “Obviously, use of cellphones or other devices in a meeting can be distracting. However, we are a client-focused organization and are on demand. Plus, there are times when participants are not primary in the meeting and multitasking is appropriate. As such, we have no firm rule as to the use of devices in meetings other than courtesy and mindfulness.”
There’s no question that meetings are important business — full of potential, often costly and time-consuming, sometimes boring, and sometimes downright frustrating.
When possible, Sue noted, it’s helpful to let co-workers know before the meeting starts that you have something urgent going on and you will need to check on its status. Jeff suggested that a meeting participant who may need to use a device try to sit in the back to “at least avoid being the center of attention.”
One way BMDG is trying to make things more efficient is by changing the mindset about how meetings are scheduled. Meetings that previously lasted an hour are being set for 45 minutes instead. “It’s almost like people have this thing in their minds that a meeting is an hour,” Sue said. For people who have to spend much of their days in meetings, back-to-back sessions can make it difficult to deal with the urgent issues that come up during the day. Employees now will have at least 15 minutes to deal with time-sensitive emails and prepare for the next meeting topic.
Of course, a meeting in which everything gets accomplished in 30 minutes is even better. Sue offered this suggestion: “People should ask themselves, Can we try to get it done in 30 minutes, or at least try? If it runs a little over, fine, but why block out a whole hour when you really only need half an hour?”
According to Sue, the key to an efficient meeting is discipline: “People have to discipline themselves, and be responsible for getting prepared for the meeting and cleaning up afterward and doing that follow-up work right away.”
There’s More?
Several related themes also are part of the increased focus at BMDG. Some of these topics include:
- Agenda — Have one and get it to people beforehand. “Bringing the right materials to a meeting sometimes means we can avoid a second meeting,” Jeff said. Sue pointed to the greater focus an agenda provides: “If you don’t take five minutes to make an agenda, the meeting isn’t efficient. It’s a free-for-all, and then it takes you twice as long to do what you could have maybe cut through more quickly.”
- Punctuality — “We don’t miss client deadlines, and we need to give each other this same respect,” Jeff said. “Start a meeting on time.” He acknowledged that sometimes client calls can run over and make someone late, but he urged teams to go ahead and get started. Avoid the urge to just jump up and get coffee while you’re waiting, he said. “That usually creates a domino effect and perpetuates the delay.”
- Shared calendars — Manage your calendar, making sure it is updated. “Finding a time that works for everyone can be a nightmare,” Jeff said. “Marking your entire day as ‘busy’ should be reserved for travel or exceptional projects.”
- Calling in — Employees working remotely sometimes face challenges when they call in for meetings. Connections might result in voices being too loud and sounds distorted on the other end. Eye contact and other visual cues can be missed. Everyone participating needs to be aware of these concerns so the process works as smoothly as possible.
Make Good Use of That Time
There’s a great line from the recent Charmin commercials: “Here at Charmin, we know that we all go. Why not enjoy the go?” Without sending the serious tone of this entire discussion down the you-know-what, consider for a moment that we all go to meetings. Why not make the best use of that meeting time so everyone can get on to other things?
Meetings. If we have to be at them, we may as well make them as efficient as possible.
While going to meetings is pretty routine for most office dwellers, the attention you give these gatherings can make a difference in more than just how well the office functions. “What is important is that when meetings are called, that they are efficient,” Sue said. “Nobody has a lot of time to sit in meetings. The more efficient we can make our meetings, the more productive we’ll all be. The more organized we are, the more time it gives us for the things that we enjoy.”
Although the meeting-improvement effort might not be on a straight line to quality-of-life issues, it’s at least in the same general direction. “Everybody does need a life beyond work, and that’s usually the hardest thing people find,” Sue said. These added efficiencies in meetings can reap benefits by helping us all better manage the “crazy lifestyles” we have chosen in trying to juggle careers, home life, and everything else we’re involved in. “Fitting everything in — that’s the challenge,” Sue added.
For more information and tips on meeting etiquette, here are links to some articles we found that may be helpful:
- “15 Meeting Etiquette Rules Every Professional Needs to Know” (If you’re running the meeting, stay on track.)
- “Business Meeting Etiquette: 8 Pet Peeves” (No. 8 can’t be for real, can it?)
- “10 Etiquette Tips for Business Meetings” (How can you argue with Emily Post?)
Meetings. If we have to be at them, we may as well make them as efficient as possible. Why not get the work done quickly and move on to even better things? I’m game. How about you?
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