By: J. Mason
Online Career Tips Staff
Unless your meeting involves food, you may get a lot of hesitant acceptances.
When we start out in our careers, usually at the ground level as an intern, being invited to a meeting is exciting! It makes us feel like our opinion matters, and that we’re there to contribute to a company initiative. The higher you rise in the “food chain” the more meetings you get invited to. At that point, it’s an accepted fact, but it makes every meeting seem trivial and they don’t stand out. So, what can you do to break up the monotony and make others excited about your meeting?
[See also: How to Find Purpose in a Sea of Endless Meetings]
What’s the point?
First, you need to establish a purpose. Include the point of the meeting in the subject line of the invite. Map out the scene before you invite everyone to attend. If you’re unsure of the content, consort with your colleagues. A quick 5 minute chat can give you an extra 20 minutes in a meeting. When you go into a meeting with talking points, it keeps things more direct and succinct.
Write that down.
On a stick note jot down the top 3 to 5 things that need to be discussed with the group. There’s a reason you’re pulling all these people together, so if you’re able to define their roles ahead of time it’ll help move your project along.
Got questions?
For the items you write a question mark next to, these should be presented toward the end of the meeting. Try to create the questions on your own time so that your meeting stays focused.
Send the invite, and be precise.
After you’ve included your talking points, stick to 3 or 5, add them to your invite and hit send! If you can, give people at least a day to look and respond, if they need to. This way, they have the time to wrap their head around the content, and come ready with their own questions.
It’s meeting time, so stay on topic!
Here we are, the meeting is on! Once you step in that room, as the organizer, you are the gatekeeper for time and content. If it starts to turn into a friendly chat, steer the focus back onto your itinerary. It’ll let the group know you mean business. You want to make sure all the points have been talked out, otherwise you’ll be fielding a lot of confused emails later. The more you discuss in the meeting, the better off you’ll be.
All in all, you want everyone leaving the meeting with an action item. For example, the creative team will mock up the logo, the email team will be putting a template together, and your writer’s will be drafting the content.
If you’re looking to stay productive, this method will help you do that. It’s all about setting an example, and if your meetings end in great results, then you’ll have far less declines in your future.
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