Meeting Expectations
Managers spend many hours closeted in conference rooms—up to 20 percent of their time, according to some estimates. Ten simple techniques can help you cut that time and get more from your meetings.

Teamwork and communication ensure business success, but they can also give rise to meetings that tax productivity. Consider the numbers: A two-hour weekly meeting of 10 on-site team members consumes 40 actual hours (20 in the meeting; an additional 20 project hours to prepare and debrief). If the average hourly wage of participants is $40, the cost of the meeting is $1,600 a week. That’s a staggering 2,080 hours annually, at a cost of more than $83,000. Only you can determine the meeting’s return on investment.

Beware the Time and Tech Drains
Scheduling software, such as Microsoft Outlook, may help. But avoid sending invitations before you create a meeting plan and have assessed which staff must attend. Include the meeting’s purpose and agenda in the invitation so that staff can gauge the relevance of their involvement at a glance.

While teleconferencing can incorporate remote staff and tone of voice, firm scheduling and adequate equipment are necessities. So is business etiquette. Urge traveling participants to mute their cell phones; streamline the length and agendas of meetings so staff members are less tempted to multi-task during the call. Recent surveys showed that 90 percent of people find the mid-meeting ringing or answering of cell phones irritating; more than 80 percent felt that sending or reading texts and e-mails on cell phones or BlackBerrys was inappropriate in meetings.

Techniques for Improvement

1. Convene group meetings only when necessary.
2. Invite only those who need to be present or informed.
3. Leave gizmos at the desk. E-mails or calls can wait until a break.
4. Create, circulate and stick to an agenda. Schedule restroom and BlackBerry breaks.
5. Arrive prepared.
6. Follow the leader. Whether or not the leader is you, one individual should facilitate the meeting.
7. Begin and end on time. Consider having a staff member stand or set a timer to ring when time is up.
8. Encourage everyone’s input. Listen politely to suggestions, even if you disagree. Conversely, prevent individuals from monopolizing the meeting.
9. Assign a scribe. An assistant or meeting participant should record all decisions.
10. E-mail action steps after the meeting. Include deadlines and who is responsible.

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