Key Steps to Running Successful Business Meetings
There are some key steps you can take as a meeting facilitator to make sure your business meetings run smoothly and accomplish the purpose for which they are designed. A successful business meeting is often one where people have been prepared, there is an agenda and a timeline of the meeting’s events, the right people have been invited, a well-thought-out plan has been developed, there’s clarity on what will happen at the end of the meeting (even if it's just to set up another meeting), and everyone in attendance leaves with decisions that can be acted upon.
The key to these steps is to focus on creating an environment in which people feel comfortable, are open-minded but not too open-minded that they’ll throw out their best ideas and leave the meeting early. If people are in a reflective mood at this stage, then what you have worked on during the first part of your meeting is working.
Here's how:
1) Place importance on preparation. If you haven't done your homework before your business meeting, things will likely go off track very fast. The first 10 minutes of the meeting should be spent briefing everyone on what they need to know and when they need to be ready (10 minutes).
2) Remember the purpose of your business meeting and have a specific, clear outcome that you’re all working towards. Having multiple reasons for holding a meeting is confusing. I've seen meetings wasted because it wasn't clear why they were happening in the first place.
3) Plan your business meetings in advance, and get other people to review what you're thinking will happen and get them to agree with you (10 minutes). Make sure everyone agrees with the objectives, timeline and agenda of the meeting. Do this even if it's just to set up another meeting (plenty more below on setting up another meeting).
4) Who to invite. If you're like most business owners, you probably have a long list of people you would like to have in the meeting that is probably somewhere on your desk and hasn't moved from there for months. Getting this list together is important. There are some obvious people (your colleagues, clients and staff) who should be invited but there are often some others who should be invited but aren't. For example, if your product is being manufactured in another country, it's worth asking the people in charge of the manufacturing process who is ultimately responsible for checking that the product was made to specification.
If you don't get this list together and make changes at the last minute on behalf of your guests, then the meeting won't go well. When you have an important meeting coming up, it's very tempting to cancel everyone on your invite list without checking whether they are available at that time. This will make them angry and they'll ask why you waste their time as opposed to holding a meeting with someone else.
5) Meet in person (15 minutes). It's important to meet in person, especially if the people you want to invite are spread all over the place. You can hold your business meeting via Skype or some other video conferencing software but if you do this, make sure that you don't miss out on any of the non-verbal communication that takes place when you're meeting in person with people.
6) Speak clearly and confidently (5 minutes). Meetings are not a time for mumbling or being nervous. If you're leading a meeting, then people will be listening to what you say. Speak clearly and confidently. Remember your goal is to help others to think and act in a certain way.
7) Be prepared (5 minutes). Your business meeting can get derailed if you fumble around for information you need during the meeting or lose your place in the agenda that you planned beforehand. If it's easily obtainable, then don't forget the PowerPoint slide deck attached to your paper copy of the agenda that was sent out a few days before the meeting. It's also a good idea to have all equipment set up and ready to use so you're not interrupted by people asking questions about where things are.
8) Keep things moving (15 minutes). If a meeting is starting to look like it's going to overrun its time, then keep the meeting on track. If it's getting off track, then take action and stop the people who are being disruptive from continuing with what they're doing. If someone is doing this to you, then don't be afraid to tell them that you'd rather meet with them one on one or in a different setting where they can continue.
9) Don't stop the business meeting in front of other people (5 minutes). The most common mistake I see at meetings is when someone has an issue that they need to discuss with others but invite everyone else out of the room while talking about it. This makes them look stupid in the eyes of the other people in attendance and makes it hard for anyone else to agree with what's being said.
10) Be clear on what happens next (5 minutes). If your business meeting is part of a longer process that you're involved in, then it's important to outline exactly what will happen next with regard to:
• What you're going to do at the end of your meeting.
• Who will do what and by when. This may be helpful if you’re meeting with clients or staff because they don’t always know who is responsible for doing which parts of your agenda, even though they usually pretend that they do.
• What actions will you take as a result of what happens in your meeting.
11) List who has been involved. Don't routinely forget to do this step (5 minutes). For example, if you're going to meet with suppliers overseas, then make sure that you have the person in charge of the manufacturing process at the meeting with you so that they can take notes and check that all of your requirements were met after you leave their factory or office/workshop.
12) Set up another meeting soon after the first one has finished. You should do this within 24 hours (10 minutes). Don't let anything slip out of the planning and do your best to stay on track.
13) The meeting should be concluded in the same way that you started it. If you have multiple meetings, then there should be a time and place for everyone to leave the meeting early because people who have to work are unlikely to want to sit around for hours waiting for a meeting to finish, even if it is useful for them.
14) Don't use your business meeting as an opportunity for staff or clients to complain about something (5 minutes). This can lead to attitude and conflict between people, especially if there are multiple people involved who will be affected by what they are complaining about.
Conclusion
Your business meeting is an excellent way to help your business get more done in less time and it can be a very important part of helping you to achieve the success that you desire. This means that it's important to plan your meetings well and be on time, have a clear idea and objective in mind, ensure that everyone is familiar with the agenda beforehand and make sure that everyone else is involved. You should also make sure that you're aware of all of these things as an active participant during the meeting as well.
If you follow these rules then you'll see positive improvements in productivity, decision making and results for your business.A few minutes spent planning your next meeting will reap rewards later on.