Meetings do not have to take up hours of valuable work time, leaving you and your staff with a vague sense of confusion about whether or not you accomplished anything. There are steps you can take to make your meetings shorter and more productive.

Before the Meeting

Ask yourself, “Is it necessary?” Do you have a staff meeting every Monday simply because you have always done so? There is no reason to hold a formal meeting when a quick sales floor pep talk or email update will do the job.

For those meetings you really must have, take the time to create an agenda and include it with an email invitation. Your staff will be better prepared to help you power through the meeting quickly if they know the purpose. Invite only those who really need to be present. If you require reports or a presentation from anyone, be sure to let them know exactly what you expect. Email a meeting reminder the day before and again an hour before the start time. People are forgetful, and you do not want to sit around waiting for staff to show up on their own time schedule.

Designate a contact person to be responsible for knowing all of the meeting details — time, place, who is invited and will be attending, and what you need from each attendee. This could be your personal assistant, yourself, or another employee. Remember to let everyone know whom they should contact with any questions.

During the Meeting

Institute a “no phones” policy. Do not allow laptops unless they are necessary for retrieving information. You want your staff to be engaged in the meeting and intentional about face-to-face interaction. The purpose of a meeting is to exchange information, collaborate and get back to work, not to check email.

Be prepared. If anyone cannot make the meeting, ask them to be available for a video or conference call. If that is not possible, have them submit any crucial information so it is available to you during the meeting.

Use your agenda as a basis for creating an action plan during the meeting. Assign one person to take notes and distribute the list of action points. This could be your designated contact person or you could rotate this task between attendees depending on the meeting topic. Be sure everyone knows whether or not they need to follow up on any points brought up during the meeting.

Set a time limit and stay on topic. Keep it clear, keep it short, and focus on creating an actionable plan. Your staff will appreciate the brevity, which will translate into increased productivity.