{"id":877,"date":"2018-08-20T14:21:02","date_gmt":"2018-08-20T14:21:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonusbenefits.com\/?p=877"},"modified":"2018-08-20T15:41:49","modified_gmt":"2018-08-20T15:41:49","slug":"stop-wasting-time-meetings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonusbenefits.com\/stop-wasting-time-meetings\/","title":{"rendered":"Stop Wasting Your Time in Meetings!"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s been estimated<\/span><\/a> that 15% of an organization\u2019s collective time is spent in meetings. Worse yet, it\u2019s also been estimated that over 37 BILLION dollars per year are spent on unproductive meetings.<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s enough to make any business person\u2019s head hurt.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re frustrated with the lack of preparation, organization, progress, and productivity happening in your meetings, you\u2019re not alone. And yet you probably find yourself suffering through these sessions on a regular basis.<\/span><\/p>\n

But it doesn\u2019t have to be that way.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not all meetings are a waste of time<\/b><\/p>\n

Some of them are necessary. And productive. But far too many of them aren\u2019t. This is unfortunate because it really doesn’t take that much to make your meetings less painful and more productive.<\/span><\/p>\n

In fact, you can vastly improve your meetings by following these three principles:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Stop meeting just because<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Just because a meeting is on the schedule doesn\u2019t mean it needs to happen.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Don\u2019t waste everyone\u2019s time by holding meetings out of obligation or without a defined purpose. Having a meeting simply because it’s the second Friday of the month is ridiculous. Even if there are snacks involved.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Reasons to have a meeting:<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

      \n
    • Your team is working collectively to achieve a specific, defined objective<\/span><\/li>\n
    • There are important updates to communicate, and it can\u2019t easily be done via email<\/span><\/li>\n
    • The meeting content is educational and will better prepare each attendee to be more successful in his\/her role<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Reasons not to have a meeting:<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

        \n
      • It\u2019s Monday, and you always meet on Mondays<\/span><\/li>\n
      • You like getting everyone together just to \u201ctouch base\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Someone brought doughnuts<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        If you are going to take your people away from their work, you\u2019ve got to make it count.<\/span><\/p>\n

          \n
        • Define the specific objectives to be achieved in the meeting<\/span><\/li>\n
        • Communicate those objectives when the meeting is scheduled and remind everyone of the objective when (or before) the meeting starts<\/span><\/li>\n
        • Once you\u2019ve achieved your objectives, end your meeting. No need to hang around just because you have the time blocked out.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          Scheduling tip: <\/b>Meetings don\u2019t automatically need default to an hour. If you\u2019ve got 20 minutes of material to cover, schedule 20 minutes.<\/span><\/p>\n

            \n
          1. Commit to an agenda<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            Never ask people to come to a meeting without explaining in reasonable detail why they need to be there and what will happen when they arrive.<\/span><\/p>\n

            Having a clear agenda not only assures there is an objective for the meeting, it forces the facilitator to prepare and lets each attendee know what they need to do in order to contribute and benefit from the meeting.<\/span><\/p>\n

            Planning tip:<\/b> The agenda doesn\u2019t have to be complicated. It can be as simple as a few bullet points. <\/span>However, those bullet points must be specific, relevant, and distinct.<\/span><\/i> Going around the room and letting everyone talk for 5 or 10 minutes is NOT an agenda. And if you\u2019re using the same agenda every week, you\u2019re not accomplishing anything significant.<\/span><\/p>\n

              \n
            1. Confirm attendance and outcomes<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

              First things first. Get confirmation of who will be attending the meeting <\/span>before <\/span><\/i>it happens.<\/span><\/p>\n

              Unless you\u2019re still meeting for the sake of meeting, everyone on the invite list should be critical to the defined objectives. If one key person is missing, your meeting could easily turn unproductive. If you know ahead of time that critical participants, facilitators, and\/or decision-makers\u00a0can\u2019t be there, don\u2019t waste everyone else\u2019s time. Cancel and reschedule.<\/span><\/p>\n

              At the end of your meeting, you\u2019ll also want to confirm tasks and takeaways. Before everyone gets up and walks out the door, make sure everyone understands and commits to doing whatever is required of them to further the objectives of the meeting.<\/span><\/p>\n

              Productivity tip:<\/b> Your meeting attendees aren’t there to be entertained. They are there to participate and contribute. Ask them if they got what they expected out of the meeting, and confirm what they will do as a result.<\/span><\/p>\n

              Make your meetings count<\/b><\/p>\n

              Adhering to these three meeting principles will significantly improve meeting attitudes and outcomes.<\/span><\/p>\n

              Once you start consistently having efficient and productive meetings, your colleagues, prospects, and clients will be more much more willing to attend. And they\u2019ll be better prepared afterward.<\/span><\/p>\n

              Great meetings aren\u2019t about quantity, they\u2019re about quality. Get rid of unproductive meetings and you\u2019ll be a workplace hero! Bring coffee and you just might reach sainthood.<\/span><\/p>\n

              Is your benefits broker also a compliance consultant? How about a trusted business partner? Are you confident your policies and processes are doing what they need to ensure that your company\u2014and your employees\u2014 are healthy and productive?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

               <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

              It\u2019s been estimated that 15% of an organization\u2019s collective time is spent in meetings. Worse yet, it\u2019s also been estimated that over 37 BILLION dollars per year are spent on unproductive meetings. That\u2019s enough to make any business person\u2019s head hurt. If you\u2019re frustrated with the lack of preparation, organization, progress, and productivity happening in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":878,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nStop Wasting Your Time in Meetings! - Sonus Benefits<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sonusbenefits.com\/stop-wasting-time-meetings\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Stop Wasting Your Time in Meetings! - Sonus Benefits\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It\u2019s been estimated that 15% of an organization\u2019s collective time is spent in meetings. 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