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As managers, we’ve all experienced our share of unproductive team meetings. And if your time is valuable (which it is), there are few things more frustrating than walking out of an hour-long meeting having accomplished almost nothing. Disorganized and unnecessary meetings are draining, demoralizing, annoying, and worst of all, expensive. On the other hand, great meetings are energizing, fun, productive, and inspiring. Here are a few tips that can help you turn the first into the second.

1. Distribute an agenda.

Send an item-by-item agenda to every participant who will attend the session. If you have trouble coming up with items or breaking down your plans into specific bullet points, cancel the meeting.

2. Have a timeline in mind.

Try not to hold open ended meetings. If you know the session will start at 11:00 but you don’t know when it will end, make an educated guess and stand by it. Decide to end the meeting firmly by 2:00, and decide how you’ll address the subjects that get edged out of this time frame. If you honestly don’t know how long the meeting will take, allow team members to leave before it’s over. Show respect for their time.

3. Formality is your friend.

Depending on the workplace and the company’s goals, some teams thrive on camaraderie and a laid- back, family-dinner-table vibe during professional meetings. But most don’t. If you take your meetings seriously, your teams will follow your example, and your meetings will be more likely to stay on track. Don’t encourage casual lateness, speaking out of turn, or wandering off topic.

4. Let everyone speak.

While a little formality can be a good thing, don’t let teams become intimidated into silence. Draw out quiet members, actively solicit comments when you need them, and don’t allow an atmosphere that keeps ideas from being shared.

5. Check-ins are great…except when they aren’t.

Regular weekly status meetings and check-ins provide an excellent way for team members to stay in touch and on track. But if you’re already in touch and on track and the meeting isn’t likely to produce new information or solve any problems, cancel it. Nothing bad will happen. Holding regular meetings for no reason is unnecessary and can diminish respect for the process. Let your employees use this time to complete their own work.

For more on how to keep your workplace productive and your teams motivated to excel, contact the TX staffing and business management professionals at Expert Staffing.

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