Meetings are on the rise and essential to our modern work culture. However, poorly managed meetings often lead to wasted time and frustration.  

When considering scheduling a meeting, first ask yourself if a meeting is necessary. If yes, try to limit the number of attendees and make it as efficient as possible. 

Tips for more effective meetings:  

1. Set Clear Objectives and Provide an Agenda in Advance:  Create a detailed agenda outlining each topic of discussion. This helps participants come prepared and stay focused.   
2. Provide Advance Materials: Provide advance materials or a summary of each topic so participants are prepped and have time to mull over. Hitting someone cold with new information and expecting a short discussion followed by a decision wastes time.  
3. Set a Start and Stop Time: If there are multiple topics, outline each on the agenda and allocate a specific amount of time to each item. Start on time.  
4. Use Technology: Leverage technology to your advantage. Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and shared documents can enhance communication and collaboration, especially for remote participants.  
5. Encourage Participation: Remind participants that “Silence is Compliance” – if someone disagrees, they must speak up.  
6. Stick to the Schedule: Follow the agenda. If discussions start veering off-topic, stop and guide the conversation back to the main points. 
7. Assign Action Items: At the end of the meeting, clearly outline action items, responsibilities, and deadlines for each participant. This ensures accountability and prevents tasks from falling through the cracks. 
8. Send Out a Short Meeting Summary: Within a day or so (the sooner, the better), send out a short summary to all participants with what decisions were made and who is responsible for the execution of specific tasks. 
9. Skip the Meeting Altogether: Sometimes, decision-makers want stakeholder input on an issue, but a meeting is overkill. Consider an alternative – describe the issue and send out whatever information is available. Outline your proposed solution, and if anyone disagrees, ask for a response by a specific date. If there are no responses, move on.    

In conclusion, effective meetings are the cornerstone of successful collaboration and decision-making within organizations. Remember, the goal is not just to have meetings but to have meetings that truly matter.