The Secrets of Successful Meetings
Being a successful meeting planner entails knowing the secrets to creating successful meetings. If you do not happen to know those secrets, then read on:
Time – The time that meetings are held has a huge impact on energy levels. Early AM meetings, especially on Mondays, tend to be less productive than those scheduled prior to lunch. Meetings immediately after lunch, especially in regions that experience frequently cold weather conditions, also tend to be less productive. Why? Because participants probably ate a heavy meal to offset the cold weather.
Pace – Good meetings have an agenda and someone there to keep the pace. Letting a meeting drag on any particular point is a good way to have participants that are not keenly interested in the point begin to wish that they were somewhere else. It might be a good idea for the minute-keeper to offer subtle reminders about the agenda and offer to schedule future sessions with appropriate parties for resolving points of contention.
Location – Morning meetings scheduled in meeting rooms with no sunlight invites participants to allow their primal need for sleep to take hold. The same is true for night shift workers at call centers and those on business trips participating in meetings in a time zone that they are not fully adjusted to.
