A lot of businesses are one person operations. You will probably need to coordinate with clients even if you are a solopreneur. Collaboration is what business is meant to mean. The need for meetings is related to working with others. Meeting can be draining on your schedule. It is possible to ensure you are on the same page with your partners when you maximize meetings.

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Most of us have had those meetings where we were told it was an email. They are the ones that seem to have no direction at all. The content of the meeting may be the reason for this.

It doesn't feel good to sit through an entire hour and silently stress about the things we could be doing. People don't want or deserve a time-wasting meeting on a packed calendar. If you are in charge of periodic or regular check-ins with your team or clients, everyone will appreciate the meetings that support their tasks.

A good meeting can help participants resolve stuck points, get team members on the same page, and save time and energy. The members of your team will benefit from carefully planning your meetings and sticking to the plan.

  • Related: How to Stop Meetings From Killing Your Startup

Your team needs to periodically evaluate their meeting schedule. Do you want to ask?

Do you need a weekly or bi-weekly face-to-face?

Is it possible to skip some meetings if there are no pressing concerns?

How will a meeting affect your team's productivity by eithereviating stuck points or pulling people out of their zones?

  • Related: Too Many Meetings Suffocate Productivity and Morale

Evaluate whether your team requires standing meetings.

Don't get stuck in the thought that meetings are necessary to keep everyone moving forward. It can sometimes be an email. If you are thoughtful about when and how you conduct your meetings, you could save a lot of money. You have to pay for everyone's time during that meeting. If you're meeting too much, you could lose time on tasks. You can use a calculator to find out how much your company spends on weekly meetings.

  • Related: What I Learned About Great Meetings from Steve Jobs

Have a clear meeting agenda and stay on task.

It is important to have an action plan when you determine that a gathering is necessary. Before each meeting, make sure you know what you want to accomplish, who needs to be involved, and how you will organize the meeting. If you don't have to take up their time, try not to require attendance from them. Stick to the agenda created and shared at the meeting.

Annette Catino told the New York Times that she would walk out if she didn't have an agenda. If you don't know why we're in the meeting, then there's no reason for a meeting."

Tips for Maximizing Your Meetings

Developing a plan ahead of time will allow everyone to know what to expect and will save time.

Here are five tips you can use to help you and your team get the most out of your time together.

1. Have a meeting agenda available for your team before you get together.

Effective team collaboration depends on a well-thought out meeting agenda. It's a guide that sets the stage for a smooth performance. The agenda should include who, why, what, and how.

Who is attending should be known by your team. Inform attendees of their expectations for the discussion. Even for standing meetings you should have a clear goal. How will you deal with your team's pain points during this time? You might want to back up if you can't answer the big questions. Do you need to meet at all?

Paragraphs of explanations or instructions are not needed for the agenda. Pick out the items that need to be dealt with and note who is invited to contribute to each point. Having a clear outline will make it easier to keep everyone on task.

2. Use your meeting agenda to stay on task and ensure efficiency.

Every participant should get a copy of the agenda prior to the meeting. Allow plenty of time for feedback and questions. Your team may help you improve on your plan.

Hard copies of your agenda can be given to you before you meet. That is not a viable option for a hybrid or remote gathering. It's possible to email an agenda document. Tech tools can help organize the process from beginning to end.

The Fellow is a tech tool that can be used to maximize meetings. You don't have to start with a blank page when you organize your agenda with Fellow's software. The agendas allow you to keep an eye on your team. One way to keep everyone on the same page is with a multi-feature tool.

3. Stay on task and cut down on distractions.

Depending on your culture, you may want to make your meetings more interesting. It's a good idea to keep everyone focused if you do. If everyone has the space to contribute, you can help with pain points.

If you are in charge of the meeting, try to serve as the meeting's moderator. Open communication should be fostered. When it's time to move the meeting to the next agenda item, be prepared to step in. As you make your way down the list, keep in mind a rhythm of communication, creativity, and settlement.

Talk about where you are and what needs to be done to get you out of it. Give the team enough time to discuss approaches and commit to a strategy before moving on. You can revisit things if they don't work.

4. Encourage note-taking and active listening.

Teams can use meetings to work through issues. You can accomplish workplace miracles if you plan them out and allow participants to bring their challenges and solutions to the table.

Good note-taking and active listening will help participants maximize their benefits from face to face meetings.

Team members can use some form of note-taking to remember next steps. If you meet online, you may want to make a recording of the meeting. It is possible for attendees to review details later.

5. Go forth and turn those bullet points into action.

When you gather your team, you want to use your time efficiently. Make sure your meeting allows for planning. You could have a recap at the end of the session, which would explain how the team will address the issue, and clarify who is responsible for what.

As you move through the meeting, you can use this into each agenda item. Everyone should leave the table with a clear understanding of what they are going to do. You can save a lot of time and energy if each attendee leaves the meeting with the knowledge of what to do next.

Whether you and your team operate in person, remote or hybrid, meetings are a staple of your weekly or monthly schedule. Sometimes face-to-face is best for collaborating. Ensuring a smooth and productive meeting online or in person can be done with these steps.

A great meeting involves a lot of clear communication from start to finish. Determine if you should have a meeting and who is important to the process. There are clearly outlined points to be addressed in the agenda. The meeting needs to keep going. Everyone should be aware of what to do next. Extra planning and preparation will save you a lot of time and money.

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