Meetings can be high stress for the person giving the meeting and the attendees. There is often pressure to pay attention, speak out, and retain all of the information given in the meeting for the people attending. For the person running the meeting it can be even more stressful. Meeting leaders need to have control over the room while speaking clearly and broadcasting to their audience everything that they need to know. While being stressful, at the same time meetings are important for businesses to communicate with their employees and offer a place for everyone’s opinions to be put into play. It is important to be able to differentiate when a meeting is necessary and when it is not.
First, it is important to think about whether a meeting is necessary or whether the information that is to be given only needs to go one way. If a company is instructing its employees on a new rule or policy and there is no need for discussion, a company-wide memo will suffice. A memo can let everyone know what they need to know without interrupting their work day. On the other hand if the company is looking for ideas or opinions, a meeting is definitely called for. Open discussions are a great way to get fresh ideas and a good way to get different views on things.
Another good tip is to schedule regular meetings where things can be discussed openly. Weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly are good choices for a general meeting time depending on the business. General meeting times give everyone a chance to let their peers know of problems or ideas on a schedule at an expected time. Having a set meeting time also gives everyone a clear date to prepare anything they’d like to discuss with their coworkers.
Meetings that are called outside of the scheduled general meetings should have a clear and concise subject and goal for the meeting. A presentation that must be given using a projector is one reason a meeting must be held. Renting a projector for meetings is a great way to make ideas visual and presentations more entertaining. When giving such a presentation, make sure everyone is up to date on the subject matter and that no one is left behind. Keep the floor constantly open for comments or questions.
If the subject that needs to be discussed is something negative or personal to one or more employees, it is better to talk to that person or persons privately. Airing dirty laundry at public meetings is a faux pas that should be avoided. This is another case where it is better to send a memo or email to the employees in question or hold a private meeting with them without letting others know.
Time is valuable for all businesses and it is important to make meetings worth the time that they take. Bits of one-way information can be sent in memos while things that need to be discussed openly should be brought up in meetings. Presentations should be understood by all meeting attendees and the floor should always be left open for questions. Lastly, negative things that pertain to one or just a few employees should never be brought up in meetings but should be handled privately. With these tips it should be easier to decide if a meeting is needed.
