How to Host a Productive Meeting
Whether you see them as an essential part of the work day or dread the ping of an invitation invading your inbox, meetings are an inescapable reality for workers in every industry.
Love them or hate them, though, a wasteful meeting is a pointless drain on your resources. But how do you prevent them?
Different people have different ways of working and collaborating together, particularly in diverse and less traditionally-structured coworking spaces. However, there are some basic principles that can be commonly applied. We spoke to Primalbase tenants and employees to get their opinions on what makes a productive, effective meeting.
Invite the Right People
More attendees at a meeting doesn’t necessarily translate into a better outcome. James Ovenden is the Managing Editor at Binary District Journal, based in the Primalbase London offices. For him, the guest list of a meeting is an essential component of its success. “Keep the meeting to essential people, don’t invite everyone for the sake of. It’s great to have a range of opinions before making a decision, but if that’s what you’re looking for, canvas people beforehand rather than inviting everyone in for a long and banal shouting match. It’s inane and nothing useful ends up being produced.”
Biko de Koning is the Primalbase International Finance Manager, based in the Primalbase Amsterdam offices. He expands on what James says, emphasising that it is also important to have at least one attendee with direct experience in the topic being discussed in the meeting. “A tip for meetings is to be sure to include someone that is actively in the field. Philosophy works in meetings, but in the field you can see the practical needs and align the two. Only this way will you exceed expectations.”
Time is of the Essence
An almost universally agreed-upon aspect of successful meetings is the need to keep sessions timely and to the point. Robert Bownes is the founder of Old Street Communications, a PR and marketing consultancy for fast-growing tech companies based in Primalbase London. He believes that, “A meeting should be around half an hour and no more than an hour — people lose interest after that and productivity falls dramatically. A meeting should always have an agenda which is managed by the meeting chair. Importantly, this shouldn’t be the most senior person in the room — it should be the person who called the meeting.
“Sticking to the agenda stops mission creep, or the meeting turning into a talking shop. Having an agenda circulated ahead of the meeting also means everyone who attends knows what it is about, whether they are needed and if there’s anything they should research ahead of it.”
Michael Frearson, Digital Content Manager for Binary District, based in the Primalbase London offices, is also a strong proponent for concise meetings. “Clear intended outcomes — having a purpose will help keep the discussion focused and avoid waffle. Secondly, agenda — stick to it. Let this guide the discussion. Some person or multiple persons should take responsibility for keeping discussion on point. There’s a fine line between rushing an important topic, and needlessly dragging it out.”
There are other, more specific ways to ensure that meetings do not needlessly stretch on. Bjorn Lestrud, a Primalbase token holder based in the Amsterdam offices, who believes that meetings should not turn into overly homely events. “First step to a productive meeting is don’t serve food. It will cause the meeting to drag on much longer than it has to be.”
Walk Away with Something Actionable
Every meeting should have a clear outcome, otherwise what did you just spend all that time talking about? Michael Frearson champions having clear, defined action points and agreed items distributed post-meeting. “This reinforces the utility of having the meeting in the first place, maintains understanding that people will be held to account for their contribution, and creates a culture of meetings working for teams, rather than the other way around.”
Robert Bownes echoes this sentiment. “Too often people use meetings as an excuse to fake progress or as an alternative for doing actual work.”
James Ovenden quotes The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. “It’s like Eli Wallach says, ‘When you have to shoot…Shoot! Don’t talk’. Sitting around shooting the breeze all day might be nice and make you feel important, but who cares if nothing is actually getting done.”
Fewer Meetings is the Ultimate Goal
This is not because meetings are a burden, but rather because utilising them in an effective way can increase the workflow outside of them. “By adding structure and administration to a meeting it turns it from ‘just something we do’ to an action that requires effort,” says Robert. “In doing so, it cuts down the amount of meetings that are held and means that if they do take place they are much more productive.
“It also creates a virtuous circle, if there is a smaller quantity of meetings with higher quality, people are more likely to be engaged and provide insight because they know that meetings are actually important and result in progress.”
Our tenants have given us an idea of what works for them, but what do you think? Are there any more essential tips for hosting productive meetings that we’ve missed? Let us know in the comments.
At Primalbase, we have spacious and professional boardrooms overlooking London, Amsterdam and Berlin. If you’re looking for an inspiring backdrop to host your meeting, check out our spaces and see what we can do for you.
