Hold effective meetings with these 14 practical tips from Jaarbeurs

Meetings don’t always have a good reputation. And there’s a reason for that. After all, 63 per cent of meetings take place without a pre-determined agenda, and 92 per cent of participants are doing other things rather than actively taking part in the meeting. Furthermore, research from Harvard shows that 71 per cent of managers find meetings unproductive. On average, managers nowadays spend almost 23 hours a week in meetings – more than twice as much as in the 1960s. Yet meetings are not necessarily a waste of time. We’ll explain why that’s not the case, and how you can hold effective meetings.

1. Set the objective of the meeting
   An effective meeting starts with a clear objective. What should this meeting achieve? New ideas, a decision or a concrete plan? Without a clear objective, you’ll soon get bogged down in unnecessary details.
2. Choose the right type of meeting
   Not every meeting is the same. Think carefully about which format best suits your objective. Sometimes a short stand-up meeting is enough, whilst at other times you need a strategic session. Choosing the right format helps you to hold meetings more effectively and efficiently.
3. Invite only relevant participants
   The larger the group, the more difficult it becomes to make effective decisions during a meeting. You should therefore only invite people who are genuinely needed for their expertise, support, input or decision-making.
4. Draw up a clear agenda
   A clear agendadetermines the success of your meeting. We also refer to it as the backbone of an effective meeting. You should therefore describe all the topics and include an estimated time for each. This ensures that the meeting remains structured.
5. Share information in advance
   Do participants need to prepare? If so, send out documents, figures and presentations in advance – for example, a week beforehand. This will allow everyone to prepare properly and prevent you from having to provide additional explanations during the meeting.
6. Choose a suitable meeting environment
   The environment influences the atmosphere. Because let’s be honest, would you rather be in an inspiring space without distractions, or a small room at work where everyone keeps coming in to disturb you? Think about plenty of natural light, comfortable chairs and good facilities.

7. Start on time and finish on time
   Starting on time ensures focus and respect for everyone’s schedule. By keeping a close eye on the finishing time too, you can prevent meetings from running over (and thus avoid frustration).
8. Appoint a chairperson
   It’s useful to have a chairperson or moderator. They keep the meeting on track, summarise discussions and steer the conversation back on course if it veers off track. This goes a long way towards making meetings more effective and efficient. And get someone else to take the minutes (see point 12).
9. Keep discussions on track
   Focus on the main points and guide participants accordingly. You really don’t always need to discuss every detail. Be clear about what you do and don’t want to explore in depth, and set aside topics that don’t directly contribute to the objective. You can come back to these later.
10. Encourage active participation
    An effective meeting is all about interaction. Ask questions, encourage participants to contribute their ideas and ensure that everyone has a say. Because: engaged participants lead to better ideas and stronger decisions.
11. Make decisions specific
    Effective decision-making in a meeting means that agreements are clear. Therefore, formulate all decisions and check that everyone understands them.
12. Record action points and responsibilities
    Make sure you appoint someone to take minutes. That person should note down what needs to be done, who is responsible and by when it must be completed. This is useful, because without a list of action points, good ideas can quickly fade away. And why not consider having an AI assistant take the minutes?

13. Send the minutes to
    Sometimes a meeting is so intense that you can no longer remember what was discussed at the start. In that case, it’s good to be able to refer back to the minutes. It also helps to keep commitments clear. This ensures everyone remains involved and makes it easier to follow up on them.
14. Evaluate the meeting
    What went well? What could be improved? By carrying out a brief evaluation and sending participants a short survey, you’ll learn how to make your future meetings more effective.