20 Essential Elements For A Productive Business Meeting

Business meetings are one of the most contentious topics for most business owners and business management. They are thought of as a large waste of time and in need of much improvement. We even hear of some business owners banning meetings outright unless it’s to get new business. The frustration is warranted and anyone who has participated in enough business meetings can attest.

Twenty Essential Elements of A Business Meeting

1. Clear Objective for Business Meeting

Define the purpose of the business meeting and communicate it clearly to all participants. Most unproductive meetings do not specify the actual problem to be resolved and instead present the problem in an unclear manner. This then produces a discussion of the impact the discussed problem has from different perspectives. Although this can be beneficial, this type of discussion should be limited in time.  The meeting objective should have three factors. They are:

• a clear and simple definition of the problem,
• a metric or number stating the frequency of the problem,
• an impact on the company, stakeholders, or other impact parts of the business

Producing such a problem statement allows participants to resolve the issue in a more efficient manner and shorter time. There are exploratory problem meetings in rare cases, but these should be the exception and not the rule.

2. Business Meeting Agenda

Create a structured agenda outlining topics and time allocated for each one.

Many unproductive meetings take place because of not having a business meeting agenda. Without one the meeting runs the possibility of going in many directions with the potentiality of some participants ‘high jacking’ the meeting for their agendas or gripes. My suggestion to business owners and managers is that a company should have a policy on meeting agendas being distributed before meetings. No meeting should be started without one.

More Information: Meeting Agenda: Everything you need to know and how to easily create one

3. Preparation for Business Meetings

Encourage participants to come prepared by reviewing materials or information beforehand.

All participants should come prepared to address the business meeting objective with materials and information that will benefit the meeting discussion. Participants should always have the agenda sent to them ahead of time.  The meeting organizer can advise all participants ahead of time to come prepared with the necessary materials to enable a speedy resolution to the problem.

More Information: The Best 12 Meeting Ground Rules for Business Meetings

4. Attendance

Invite only essential stakeholders to keep the business meeting focused and productive.

The right attendees need to participate in the meeting so do not have people that don’t need to be there. Often attendees are invited who may only contribute to the meeting outcome in a limited manner. This is fine for one-off meetings, but not for ongoing meetings.

Instead, look at having a core group of participants that need to be in each meeting and a support group that may contribute in a limited or specified manner. Visiting attendees should be provided with prior meeting minutes and requirements ahead of their participation.

This is to have the proper context of the issue, its progression, and the reason for their attendance. Doing so will reduce the resources and costs utilized to solve the meeting objectives.

5. Start On Time

Respect everyone’s time by starting the meeting promptly as scheduled.

Too many meetings start late due to someone being late. It is good practice to send out a meeting notice reminder to all participants within 24 hours of the meeting start time to ensure that all participants make the necessary arrangements to attend on time. This is especially true for meetings that are arranged weeks or even months ahead.

The longer the time from sending out the business meeting invitation to meeting start date the greater the probability of someone forgetting about the meeting even if it is in their calendar.

6. Facilitator

Designate someone to facilitate the meeting and keep it on track.

The organizer of the meeting is usually the meeting facilitator. However, this may not always be the best course of action. The facilitator will keep the business meeting focused and on track.  It is not necessarily the person who is most senior in the company attending the meeting. The ideal facilitator should be someone who has tact, and discipline to accomplish the meeting objectives in a timely and effective manner.

7. Active Listening

Encourage active participation and attentive listening from all attendees.

All business meetings should begin with ground rules that include active listening. Participants should be reminded that their participation is critical to resolving the issues. Active participation will provide the engagement needed to address the meeting objectives.

8. Encourage Contributions in Your Business Meeting

Foster an environment where all participants feel comfortable contributing their ideas and opinions.

Participants in the meeting should be reminded that their views, opinions, and suggestions are valuable. Encourage a wide perspective which will contribute to a robust resolution. I have personally participated in meetings where senior management or owners influenced the direction of the meeting discussions to the point where most participants were afraid to provide suggestions.

Such meetings are useless and should be announcement meetings where the senior manager or owner should organize a roll-out or announcement meeting. Fostering a culture of participation will provide valuable insights that are often not provided. The lack of a wide range of perspectives will impact the solutions from the business meeting in a negative manner.

9. Limit Distractions

Minimize interruptions by setting guidelines for electronic devices and side conversations.

There is nothing worse than watching someone on their phone trying to hide their distraction under the business meeting table. In the attention economy world, it is paramount for companies to have a policy of meeting distractions. Such distractions lead to a waste of company resources time and money.

I always propose that every meeting room have a container for cell phones and other electronic devices that may distract participants. After all, it is incredible how fast meeting objectives concludes when people are wanting to get back to their smartphones. It can have the opposite effect when compared to having their phones during the meeting with them.

Of course, distractions don’t just come in the form of smartphones but also in noise or other visual distractions. A proper venue should be chosen eliminating as many distractions as possible.

10. Time Management

Stick to the agenda and manage time effectively to ensure all topics are covered.

A timekeeper should be designated, when the facilitator is actively participating in the business meeting by using whiteboards, easels, etc. Facilitators who are leading discussions with visual aids may not be able to keep track of time on specific topics and have the probability of exceeding the allotted time without a designated timekeeper.

11. Decision Making

Clearly identify decisions that need to be made and facilitate consensus or voting when necessary.

The decision-making structure of a meeting should be decided and provided to the group of participants. In most cases, the most senior company members should decide unless they are ‘visiting’ members who are present for one or some of the total number of ongoing meetings to solve the business meeting issues. It is always up to the leadership of the department to agree to actions being proposed by a meeting group.

This is to ensure alignment with the department’s mission and priorities. After all, one department cannot dictate another unless a senior company member is present such as a CEO or other leader where all participants report to that company leader.

12. Action Items

Document action items, responsibilities, and deadlines to ensure follow-up after the business meeting.

One of the frustrations that business managers have is the lack of accountability people have after meetings. Ensure that each action item has a responsible person assigned to it, and that there are deadlines for accomplishing the tasks. All meeting minutes should be recorded and sent to each participant. All action items must have a responsible person to follow up and report the status of each action item.

More Information: What Are Action Items In A Meeting & The 10 Most Frequently Asked Questions

13. Summarize Key Points From Your Business Meeting

Recap important decisions, action items, and next steps before concluding the meeting.

There must be time allocated for a meeting summary at the end of each business meeting. It’s important to summarize what was discussed and agreed to, and to go over the action items.  I often see meetings without a summarization at the end.

Meetings without a designated timekeeper usually have participants tracking the meeting time and as a result, there may not be enough time to summarize the meeting. It is therefore not surprising when there is a lack of clarity especially around action items.

14. Feedback

Encourage feedback on the business meeting process to continuously improve future meetings.

A great suggestion that is rarely done amongst large and small organizations alike is the seeking of feedback from meeting participants to improve the productivity of meetings. This is a key component of improving meetings and one that can truly make a difference in your own organization.

A simple survey with an open question to suggest improvements can help improve meetings.  People don’t want to be involved in unproductive meetings and will offer good suggestions if asked.

15. Respectful Communication

Maintain a professional and respectful tone in all interactions.

Communication is at the heart of an organization’s excellence. A single specific issue can be seen and experienced differently depending on where you are in the organizational structure. An individual at the entry level of an organization will experience a different understanding of the same issue than the owner or CEO of a company. That difference will create a more robust solution than if such an individual is not part of the business meeting group.

Thinking that a few people in any organization regardless of size see all issues is a fallacy among the arrogant. Most seasoned owners and managers understand this fact and why they will ensure that everyone in a meeting has a voice. Ground rules are provided at the start of each meeting. Include that everyone will not speak over anyone else or be disrespectful in any way. A good facilitator will not allow unruly or disrespectful behavior.

16. Problem-Solving

Address any challenges or obstacles that arise during the business meeting and work together to find solutions.

Problem-solving methodologies must be used to arrive at solutions in the shortest amount of time possible. There are over 100 statistical problem-solving methods and at least half a dozen qualitative methods that anyone regardless of education can participate in and learn. Regardless of the methods chosen, they will ensure a robust solution to the meeting objectives when used correctly.

An organization should spend time in training their staff if they do not have this skill. It can make unproductive meetings change to productive and efficient meetings that people look forward to attending.

17. Encourage Innovation

Foster creativity and innovative thinking by allowing space for new ideas and approaches.

Innovation and creativity are at the heart of success. Even tried and true products, assets, and approaches, need to be periodically overhauled.  This is achieved with a culture of innovation embedded in each business meeting. Without such a company value employees and management alike will hold on to their innovative ideas and suggestions, and the company will not benefit from them.

18. Visual Aids

Use visual aids such as slides or diagrams to enhance understanding and engagement.

Most of us are visual learners. Pictures and diagrams certainly make a difference in conveying our thoughts to one another. Meetings should encompass visual aids such as PowerPoint projectors, easels, whiteboards, and the like. They not only serve to clarify our own thoughts to the business meeting participants but also provide a memory aid that helps us piece together the group’s developing thoughts.

Writing everyone’s thoughts on a whiteboard over a one-hour session is certainly better than relying on an individual’s memory as studies show that we remember very little of a conversation after an hour has passed. Group meetings should have visual aids as part of them, as it will increase their productivity.

19. Business Meeting Breaks

Schedule short breaks for longer meetings to allow participants to refresh and refocus.

There are times when longer meetings are necessary, and in such cases, a small break of 5-10 minutes should be exercised. Consider doing this when meetings are two or more hours. Keep your breaks short. Meeting breaks do allow people to go to the washroom where otherwise they would leave in the middle of the meeting, and potentially miss what may be a critical part of the business meeting.

Should you plan on doing so, it is important to announce your intention at the start of such meetings.

20. Follow-Up

Send meeting minutes or a summary of key points to all participants and ensure accountability for action items.

One of the most critical components to having productive meetings is the follow-up. Actions derived and agreed upon from the business meeting along with the meeting minutes should always be sent. Also, include the responsible people and due dates for each action. It is important to have someone follow up prior to the due dates on each action to receive a progress and issue report from each responsible person.

Too many times I have seen people attend a follow-up meeting advising the meeting members that they couldn’t accomplish their task due to some difficulty. Then participants of the meeting must address the issue for the responsible person.  This prolongs the meetings’ objective and is unproductive. Address these issues by following up on the progress of each action item long before the follow-up meeting if there is one.

Why Should You Trust My Advice?

As someone who has been a business consultant for more than three decades, I’m going to tell you here how to conduct business meetings in a productive way so that you don’t have to face this type of frustration. There are many types of meetings that do not conform to typical business meetings and are not necessarily for problem-solving. These types of meetings include company announcements and training sessions.

In short, there are twenty elements that must be present to get the most out of your problem-solving business meetings.

• Clear Objective
• Agenda
• Preparation
• Attendance
• Start On Time
• Facilitator
• Active Listening
• Encourage Contributions
• Limit Distractions
• Time Management
• Decision Making
• Action Items
• Summarize Key Points
• Feedback
• Respectful Communication
• Problem-Solving
• Encourage Innovation
• Visual Aids
• Breaks
• Follow-Up

Using a comprehensive meeting journal such as the Konnect Meeting Minutes Journal will make the organization of your meetings easier as it provides a structured way of tracking each business meeting. It certainly is worth investigating it as a possible tool to reduce ineffective and unproductive company meetings.

Conclusion

By incorporating these 20 elements you will increase your business meeting productivity substantially. It is important to have a meeting aid such as the Konnect Meeting Minutes Journal if you are not familiar with taking meeting minutes to help you track your meetings in a structured manner. Such meeting journals allow you to keep all your meeting notes in one book where you can easily go back to previous meetings to review its content by just flipping a few pages.