Are You Having Too Many Meetings?

Meetings can be a very productive way to get multiple people up to speed, handle an issue efficiently or provide useful information to a group. On the other hand, they can occasionally be an unproductive use of time, which could potentially cost you and your employees valuable opportunities to get essential work done. That's why it' important to only hold necessary meetings that have a specific objective. But how do you know which meetings are going to be productive? Here are four questions every boss should ask himself or herself before scheduling meetings:

1. Could This Meeting Be Held in Another Way?
The first step in deciding whether a meeting will be productive is to determine if there's another way to share the information easily and effectively. Here's an example: If you want to give someone a quick update regarding a project they're already working on, a face-to-face meeting may not be absolutely necessary. Instead, consider drafting a clear email or even having a short instant message conversation. A good rule of thumb to follow is to draw up an agenda and objective for each meeting you schedule – if you can't come up with a full agenda, find another way to give people the information.

2. Is There a Way to Make This Meeting Shorter?
If you do decide a meeting is important, you may be able to make it more productive by cutting some nonessential information out of the agenda. Look for points that digress from the main objective of the meeting or which provide the exact same information but in a different way. For instance, it's unlikely you need to show both a video and a full presentation to provide your employees with important information about a client or project. Choose whichever method will most effectively get your points across. Then, to ensure you've covered the information thoroughly enough, allow your employees to ask clarifying questions at the end of the meeting.

3. Can I Combine This Meeting With Others?
If your employees are swamped with meetings scattered throughout the day, how much are they really going to be able to get done with those interruptions? As much as you can, look for ways to combine meetings – this is especially effective if the same group of people was scheduled to attend both meetings. Not only will this cut down on the amount of interruptions for each person, but it will likely also make getting through each individual subject quicker and more efficient.

4. Does This Meeting Need to Include Everyone Who's Invited?
Some bosses prefer having as many people in a meeting as possible to allow fresh ideas to flow and to let everyone contribute their own questions and comments. However, this isn't necessary for every meeting. It's a good idea to keep the number of invitees to a minimum for a couple of reasons. First, fewer people will have to take time out of their day. Second, it's likely the meeting itself will be faster and more efficient when less employees are involved.