Over Zoom, on Teams, in person and spread out across workplaces, cities and continents, the amount of meetings we’re having – and the form they come in – seem to be increasing.
But what do these different meeting types involve and what can you do to make sure that your time, and everyone else’s, is being used as effectively as possible? We’ll describe the features of different types of meetings, and how you can run them successfully, below.
Making your meetings more effective
We’ve all been in meetings that have turned what should’ve been a 15-minute session into a two-hour slog. And the further things get from their initial intentions, the less effective or productive the outcomes.
So, before we get onto the specifics of meeting types, there are some things to be aware of before you head into any sort of conversation, discussion or conference with your colleagues.
Set an agenda and objectives
Want to make sure things stay on track? Knowing what you want to achieve will help with that. Before you send out the invites, ask yourself what the end goal is. Not only will you know what kind of meeting you’ll want to have, you’ll be able to work out who needs to attend too.
With objectives to meet, you’ll have a clear agenda that’ll structure the meeting and ensure everyone sticks to relevant topics.
Keep the numbers to a minimum
Your goals and objectives will likely determine the number of participants in the meeting too. Don’t forget: people’s time is precious. If they’re asked to come along to a meeting, then it’s vital that they don’t feel like they could’ve been carrying out other tasks instead.
An over-crowded meeting means that it could be a struggle to hear everyone’s opinions, especially if it’s remote. Make sure you’re only inviting people whose involvement is going to be absolutely necessary.
Work out the logistics
Your next decision: remote or in-person. Each of them comes with their own considerations you’ll want to weigh up. If it’s in-person, for instance, can everyone get to the office on that day?
If it’s remote, you’ll need to make sure that everyone can get logged in properly and in good time. For this reason, you might want to invite people ten minutes earlier to give them a chance to attend the meeting ahead of its “official” start time. Waiting for people to attend and late arrivals can stymie the productivity of a meeting very quickly – and only wastes the people’s time who attended promptly, as well.
And if you’re using any technology and tools such as screen sharing or projectors, then make sure you’re familiar with it ahead of time for the same reasons.
Keep it short
Like we said, your colleagues’ time is precious. Shorter meetings hold people’s attention, won’t take up much of their time, and keeps everything on topic. Aim for 30 minutes or below, if possible. Anything longer and that’s when frustrations could begin to creep in.
Give the team focus
When you’re identifying objectives from the outset, have your attendees prepare some of their own thoughts on the topic in question. This ensures that they aren’t simply passive attendees, and keeps them engaged and involved in the outcomes of the meeting more actively.
The different types of meetings
What forms can meetings over the course of a working week take? Below, we’ll run through some different types of meetings you may encounter, along with who should attend them and what the outcomes should be. Let’s get started…
Decision-making meetings
- What they involve
If you or your team need to agree on a course of action, such as hiring new employees, cutting costs, or approving creative work, then the collaborative efforts of a decision-making meeting are the way to go.
These meetings are largely driven by choosing the right option (and why), and determining who has the responsibility of implementing this decision.
- Who needs to attend?
And because they involve big decisions, key decision makers will need to be involved, but the insights of a subject matter expert will also prove essential too. Such employees will be able to point out potential issues, clarify likely outcomes and steer everyone to a more specific and effective decision.
- How should they end?
Of course, the ultimate outcome of these meetings should be to reach the decision in question. But it should also be made clear who will take care of the next steps involved in the decision.
In addition, the following should have also been touched upon:
- The points of view and opinions of all attendees were accurately represented
- All options were considered and understood before reaching the final decision
- That any next steps will be approached with the proper amount of commitment
Problem-solving meetings
- What they involve
Over the course of a problem-solving meeting, you’ll figure out a way of addressing a specific issue – as well as what might have caused it. It could be in response to an immediate problem the business wants to downplay such as negative PR, or a strategy session held to address how to improve certain business operations and activities.
In addition to identifying the cause of the problem, and how to address it, problem-solving meetings will also look at what the team can do to make sure the problem doesn’t keep happening.
- Who needs to attend?
With so many different problems a business might face, it makes sense that such meetings are attended by colleagues from across an organisation. Each will have their own expertise and ideas they can bring to the table. You can involve a number of stakeholders in problem-solving meetings, but it can be tough to make sure everyone is free at the same time.
- How should they end?
At the end of a problem-solving meeting, you should reach the following:
- The correct solution, or solutions, to address your issue
- A clear understanding of who is responsible for handling each part of the solution
- A timetable or schedule to put your solution into action
- Measures to stop the problem from recurring in the future
Team-building meetings
- What they involve
It can be argued that all meetings have a team-building aspect baked into them, but team-building meetings themselves meet this intention head on. In other words, they’re set up in order to strengthen the relationships amongst teams so that employees can be more productive and satisfied in their roles.
These meetings can take the form of everything from team outings, light-hearted games and challenges, to talent showcases and lunch and learns.
- Who needs to attend?
As the name suggests, team-building meetings are nothing without the attendance of everyone who is part of a given team across a company.
- How should they end?
Upon their conclusion, a team-building meeting should aim to increase:
- Trust among teammates
- Feelings of value and worth across the team
- Commitment to the team’s and the business’ wider goals
Status update meetings
- What they involve
Whether you know these as status updates, check-in meetings or stand-ups, they’re all set up to achieve the same thing: to keep everyone on a team up-to-date with a project’s progress. Over the course of them, attendees will discuss their accomplishments, any challenges they’ve encountered and the next steps they need to make to keep the project moving. Short and rapid by design, status updates should always seek to stay on topic.
- Who needs to attend?
Ideally, the entire team should be in attendance, but if the meeting has been created to address specific aspects of the project, then it’s fine to have only the team members it applies to in attendance.
- How should they end?
By the end of a status update meeting, you and your team should have addressed and achieved:
- Insight into a project’s progress
- Details on any successes or challenges
- Actions you’ll take to address these challenges
- A plan of action detailing next steps and responsibilities
Brainstorming meetings
- What they involve
Often loosely structured and free flowing, brainstorming meetings serve to generate new, creative ideas. Focusing on quantity rather than quality initially, they help teams to get things like ad campaigns, new products and creative design work off the ground.
- Who needs to attend?
Team members whose roles and creative ways of working go well together are a key part of the personnel attending brainstorming sessions. For instance, a copywriter and a designer, who are used to bouncing ideas off of each other, can help with the written and visual aspects of the task at hand.
- How should they end?
Once a brainstorming session is over, the team will have:
- Come up with a diverse range of project ideas
- Tapped into the team’s creative thinking
- Created a sense of excitement that creates a jumping off point for next steps
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