CEO Today - February 2023

58 VISION & STRATEGY In a 2017 report by Harvard Business Review, it was found that from 182 senior managers surveyed, more than 70% of them said that meetings are unproductive and inefficient. Additionally, the majority felt that meetings keep them from completing work (65%), require deep thinking (64%), and are underutilised to help promote team culture and communication (62%). Regardless of the medium, whether it’s an online conference call, an in-office session or even facilitating an executive retreat; meetings are costing companies valuable time and money. For some executives and managers, it’s a pipeline dream to completely rid the company of humdrum gatherings that resolve nothing or provide no real progress for employees. It’s possible to some extent to make meetings more engaging, and interactive and provide valuable information to employees relating to their work, projects, client details, and company goals. Keepingmeetings interesting is oftenmore about the presentation, rather than the actual information. Against this backdrop, employees also want to feel as if the information they are receiving is of value, and that once they return to work, they’re able to put it into practice. Instead of wasting valuable hours this year, it’s time to take a look at how meetings can be more productive for everyone at the table. Determine whether a meeting is necessary Well before a meeting is even scheduled, and still in the planning process, it’s best to determine whether a meeting will even be necessary at all. Depending on the information that needs to be shared, meetings can often be avoided by sending emails to employees or keeping them updated with weekly newsletters and briefs. Additionally, team leaders and office managers can oversee the task of determining whether a meeting would be suitable for the weekly agenda. This will give them an estimate of whether teams have enough time in their capacity to attend gatherings, or rather postpone them until more members are available to attend. Have time limits If you do end up having a meeting, for whatever reason it may be, it’s important to set strict time limits. Not only can meetings be extremely tiresome and dull, but they are often lengthy and take away valuable hours from the working day. Having micro meetings will mean that less time is spent discussing unimportant topics, and more being used to resolve problems, come up with new ideas, or brainstorm. Effectively making use of shorter meetings helps employees to stay on top of their toes, and ensures that the working day can be more productive. Plan ahead of time Instead of having employees attend meetings on a whim, and without notice, it’s best to schedule and plan meetings well in advance. This will help ensure that employees are well-prepared with answers and any other questions they may have. Planning ahead of time allows employees also more time to plan and schedule their working days. Additionally, it ensures that all employees can attend and that everyone is well-informed about the date and time. Avoid status updates Gathering the entire office only to give status updates is a waste of valuable time, not only for the company but for employees as well. It’s

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