Meetings
Not all executives are content to have access to documents only on their smartphones, tablets or laptops. If you work for a boss who still depends heavily on paper and attends up to a dozen meetings a day, here’s an organizing solution for you.
You’re on your way to a meeting or you’re in the middle of a project that requires your focus, when someone tells you something important. “Got it!” you say. Later, though, you realize you weren’t fully tuned in. Consider what sort of listener you are, and then heed these tips:
Affirm your credibility in a meeting with these five tactics:
If you struggle with coordinating electronic schedules with people who use different tools for scheduling, Tungle might offer a solution.
When the meeting participants are mostly VIPs, scheduling can be a hairy process, says executive assistant Trisha Heil. Currently, she offers attendees a basic date-filled chart, so they can narrow down the choices to a mutually convenient time and date. But what do other admins do?
Defer judgment … The more ideas the better … Bosses, don’t hijack the discussion. These are among the top rules of a productive brainstorming session. Before a team even begins the meeting, though, be sure to set up the room for maximum effectiveness:
Creating meeting agendas just got a lot easier with MeetingMix, online software that helps set agendas and track minutes.
One way you can help team meetings run more smoothly is to make sure attendees come to any meeting ready to engage. Try these two tips from Al Pittampalli, author of Read This Before Our Next Meeting:
When you’re working with a virtual team scattered across locations, foster unity with these steps: 1. Make messages “location-neutral.” 2. Share success. 3. Don’t waste meeting time during rare face-to-face gatherings.
When you’re planning a day-long meeting, having the right food and beverages keeps attendees’ minds sharp. But those costs can add up. Here’s savvy advice on appeasing attendees’ palates while trimming your meal budget:
Starting or ending a meeting late ranks as the No. 1 complaint about company meetings, according to a survey by Accountemps. Top pet peeves about company meetings among senior managers:
Years ago, Jon had set up an important team meeting for 10 a.m. At 9:45, he was setting up the room. By 9:50, he was ready to start. By 9:59, no one had arrived. “I had a decision to make,” he says. “What if I started the meeting on time—all by myself?” That’s exactly what he did. That’s why “Just start it” is now his No.1 rule for holding meetings that start on time.
You may have seen Chef Jamie Oliver’s show “Food Revolution,” in which he transforms school menus. Now Oliver is doing the same thing for employees slogging through long off-site meetings. If you plan off-site meetings or conferences, boost the meeting’s ROI by rethinking food.
