It’s a lament heard in offices everywhere: “That meeting could have been an email.” Staff meetings are a workplace staple too often dreaded. They can be seen as boring, repetitive, and unnecessary.
Are you a manager whose meetings are lacking in participation? It can be frustrating when your team seems to have no motivation. If you have difficulties engaging your team during staff gatherings, what is the solution? A simple agenda may be the tool you need to make the most productive use of your next meeting. Here’s why.
1. It Stops People From Watching the Clock
Have you ever caught yourself with your eyes glued to the clock during a meeting? It can be easy to let your mind wander when you don’t know how much longer a meeting will last. As the minutes tick away, you find yourself thinking about everything you want to get done afterward. Providing everyone with a meeting agenda is a means to reduce some of this distraction.
A timeline of topics lets the team know how much is left to discuss and how much time is allotted to each topic. That way, they can focus more on the talking points than their watch. An agenda’s to-do list also has the potential to improve the efficiency of conversations. When everyone can see the time frame for each discussion item, they’ll be more likely to avoid digressions and keep their comments focused.
2. It Increases Productivity
Meetings conducted without direction are subject to omitting important topics or becoming repetitive. Having a well-organized plan can make your meetings far more productive. With an agenda, participants can see what needs to be covered, so it becomes simpler to stay on task and get it done.
After a meeting with a high-quality agenda, staff can return to work with a clear idea of the company’s current goals. Knowing what is now expected from them, employees can hold themselves and others accountable for the project tasks assigned. Having current goals written down can show where there may be holes in a plan or what may need more attention. Clear and meaningful guidance such as this will make the team more productive.
3. It Helps Participants Stay on Track
Getting off-topic and lost in the conversation is human nature. Someone might get excited about a topic and remember something else that could be related. Before you know it, they’re off on a tangent, completely losing track of the main idea. An agenda is a great tool for reining them back in. If you have to defer a side topic for a later discussion, jot it down and add it to your next meeting agenda.
When time runs out for an agenda item, you may need to pick up the discussion at a subsequent meeting. Your agenda can help you remember where you left off. A schedule of topics and activities is an effective way to remember what was being discussed before the conversation broke off.
4. It Provides an Easy Record of Past Meetings
To make forward progress in a meeting, the team needs to remember what happened previously. Forever retracing old steps will prevent attendees from covering new ground. Having a written agenda gives you a natural record of past meetings without having to ask someone to take notes. Keeping agendas from past meetings on file can refresh the team’s memory and help you plan better for the next gathering.
Nor are past discussion topics and team decisions the only things meeting agendas can record. They’re also a great place to keep track of any documents that are relevant to the project at hand. Having quick access to that information will aid team members in completing tasks in a more timely manner.
5. It Helps Attendees Prepare
How many times have you sat in a meeting and felt like other participants were just giving you blank stares and the occasional head nod? The fact is, it’s hard to pay attention when you don’t have much to bring to the table.
Giving your team the meeting agenda beforehand can help them prepare what they want to say or ask about. When team members feel more included in the meeting process, they’ll be more apt to share ideas. As a result, you will feel less like you are talking to yourself. By having time to prepare beforehand, attendees may even bring solutions to the discussion you wouldn’t have thought of yourself.
6. It Offers Opportunities for Delegation
If you really want to ensure participation at your meeting, then give attendees a job to do. Assigning responsibilities to cover sections of the discussion is a practical way to involve your staff.
Having a detailed outline of what needs to be covered will help you determine who should address which topics. By putting team members in charge of segments of the meeting, you guarantee their participation and focused attention. They must be prepared before the start time to lead their portion of the conversation.
If you are a manager looking for ways to improve the quality of your staff meetings, consider providing an agenda. Adding a schedule to your gathering will provide clarity, direction, and organization for your team. Staff engagement in the discussion will increase with more time to prepare. Team members are more likely to come prepared with higher-quality questions and contributions. Using this tool for productivity will not make everyone love team meetings, but it will make them feel a little less dull.
