Do you have an upcoming business meeting that you want to make sure runs smoothly, productively and engages your audience? Follow this 10-tip guide to running a productive business meeting like a well-oiled machine.
Follow this 10-tip guide to running a productive business meeting like a productive well-oiled machine.
Three Words: What’s the Point?
When planning your business meeting, remember these three words:
What’s the point?
Stay focused on why you’re holding this meeting and the real focus. If you keep asking yourself those three words, you’ll stay on task and your meeting will be on point and productive.
What Kind of Meeting Are You Having?
Your business meeting will likely serve one of three main purposes:
- Informational
- Assignment-oriented
- Idea generation
Once you decide the purpose of your meeting, inform everyone in attendance ahead of time. This allows you to save time on the day of the meeting and get right to work.
Consider Smaller Meetings
The smaller the meeting, the more productive it can be. Consider inviting fewer attendees that are managers or directors, whom can then report back to the rest of their staff. That empowers your managers to work more productively in the meeting too.
Make Them Laugh
Are you speaking at your next business meeting? Your speech and your meeting will be more productive and keep participants engaged if you start off telling a joke or a story. It will wake up your audience and make them want to hear what you have to say if you can connect with them. Read our blog on business meeting public speaking tips to learn more about engaging your audience to keep your meeting productive.
Get Your Participants Involved
If you’re looking to have a productive business meeting, get your participants involved. Instead of just having speakers talk and passing out pamphlets, consider asking audience members questions or getting them to share their insights. This will make them feel wanted, valuable and more willing to participate.
If you’re looking to have a productive business meeting, get your participants involved.
Remember You’re in Charge
Those in charge of a business meeting should always remember it’s your meeting and you’re the leader. If your business meeting is participatory, don’t be afraid to interrupt someone who is monopolizing the conversation and interrupting the productivity and flow of your meeting. Be polite and firm when you announce, “We appreciate your input. Now we need to get input from others before we make a decision.”
Time Your Productive Business Meeting
The average person’s attention span for a speaker is 15 to 20 minutes. The average reading skim time is two to three minutes tops. Use your time wisely. Think like a movie director or talk show host that has to constantly mix things up and move on to keep the audience’s interest. This will keep your audience involved and create more productivity.
Networking is Key
Are you attending a business meeting that includes participants from several companies in the area? Or maybe you’re attending an out of town conference with colleagues from all over the country. If you want to stay productive both in your meeting and in your field, never leave a meeting without getting the names and numbers of at least two people you connect with. You can always learn from others in your field.
Remember to stay focused and on point when holding a business meeting.
Stick to Your Start and End Times
Develop a reputation for starting and stopping your meetings on time. Those that appreciate a meeting that lives up to its start and stop times are more willing to come to your meetings in the future because you value their time.
Ask for Feedback
Consider asking for anonymous feedback after your meetings. You will learn a lot from participants about what they enjoyed and what didn’t go over so well. This allows you to make adjustments and make your meetings more productive in the future.
The Roberts Centre’s event planning staff can help make your next business meeting both fun and productive. We have more than 80,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, including a conference center space. Request a proposal for your next business meeting.
Conveniently located in the middle of Dayton, Cincinnati and Columbus, we have an on-site Holiday Inn to accommodate your guests and an on-site restaurant and offer several catering options. Contact us today at (937) 283-3272 to schedule your business meeting and other special events today.
