Home
>
Time Management
>
Time Management: How to Make Your Meetings More Productive

Time Management: How to Make Your Meetings More Productive

In most organizations, meetings are often the biggest time-wasters. With a bit of planning, it's possible to both shorten the time spent in meetings and to make that time more productive. Here's how.

* Let all participants know why you're holding the meeting, what's to be accomplished and what each participant is being called upon to contribute. This should be communicated well before the meeting.

* If any of the participants need to do preparatory work before the meeting, mention that fact. Don't take it for granted that such preparation will be taken care of automatically.

* If the meeting is a follow-up to an earlier meeting, circulate a copy of the minutes of the latter, even if it has been done before. This is especially true if there's been a significant time gap between the first meeting and the follow-up.

* Try to see that everyone arrives in time and is already seated when the meeting is due to begin. Someone walking in midway through a meeting can be a great distraction.

* Serving refreshments while a meeting is in progress is also a distraction. Set out refreshments before the meeting starts. Schedule breaks for refreshments if the meeting is to go on for several hours or a day.

* Make copies of all necessary papers. Passing around a single set of documents for everyone to read is highly unproductive. Yet, it's surprising how often something as simple as this is not taken care of.

* Stick to the point. Whoever is presiding over the meeting should be ready to intervene if someone is digressing from the topic. Beating around the bush is a huge time-waster.

* Minimize interruptions from other participants when someone is speaking. Others can respond when the person has finished speaking.

* All cell phones must be switched off. Calls on land lines should be deferred as far as possible.

* The meeting should end with a summary of the main points covered and the conclusions reached. You should also spell out who is responsible for each specific action to be taken, along with a timeframe. Later, a written communication covering all these points should go out to all participants.

Making meetings more useful is all about using a commonsense approach. Stick to the above guidelines and watch your meetings become far more productive.

Burt Carlson is a top corporate executive whose passion is helping people get more out of life by managing their time better. He has written on developing time management skills, developing time management skills, eliminating developing time management skills plus many other topics.

cheap limo service Lombard .. Lockport Chicago limo O’Hare

In The News:

Recent reports show many common passwords can be cracked in literally seconds. Kurt the CyberGuy explains how to strengthen your passwords.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Iron, a robot that stands 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighs 154 pounds, combines advanced artificial intelligence with human-like movement and exceptional vision.

Hertz, the rental car giant, recently confirmed that customer information was exposed through a cyberattack on one of its software vendors.

There are a number of features with AirPods you may or may not know about to take your listening experience to the next level. Kurt the CyberGuy explains.

These 35 Chrome extensions have privacy and security concerns. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says to delete them now.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says 329,000 mph fusion rocket promises to be fast, disruptive and enable deep-space missions.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says a new autonomous AI is a game changer that also raises privacy risks. Is your data safe?

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says robots and drones are revolutionizing fruit farming with faster picking and smarter handling.

Landmark Admin revises May 2024 cyberattack scope to show twice as many people were affected. Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson gives tips to help stay safe from an insurance data breach.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about how Yamaha’s hydrogen outboard motor could revolutionize boating with zero emissions.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson reveals how to memorialize or remove a deceased loved one’s Facebook account and protect their digital legacy from misuse or scams.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says an Apple Watch saved psychiatrist Amanda Faulkner by detecting deadly leukemia early.

Scammers and fraudsters are increasingly targeting the most vulnerable, especially nursing homes and the personal data of their residents. Kurt the CyberGuy has safety tips.

Infected USB flash drives can spread malware among multiple organizations in ways that can easily bypass traditional security systems.

With a fully automated warehouse system and AI-powered robots, Ocado's Hive picks, packs and delivers grocery store orders in just a few minutes.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Recycling robots are using artificial intelligence to learn how to sort recyclables by recognizing patterns in colors, textures, shapes and logos.

The Reachy 2 robot is designed to be friendly and approachable, inviting natural interaction and is perfect for research, education and experimenting with embodied AI.

Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson shares several easy ways to keep your credit cards safe from digital thieves while you're traveling this summer.

Arcturus sets up cameras around the edges of baseball stadiums to capture real-time action and generate a 3D digital clone of the game.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

The CyberGuy explains why healthcare organizations are vulnerable to hackers after there have been a half dozen data breaches this year.

Developed at two California universities, the innovative technology combines brain-computer interfaces with advanced AI to decode neural activity into audible speech.