Take Back Your Team's Time

Meetings are a common part of business operations, but they can easily become a source of frustration, wasted time, and unproductive communication. When done correctly, meetings are a powerful tool but too many teams have lost control of their own meetings. Does your meeting rhythm need a tune up?

A meeting rhythm is the cadence at which meetings are held in a business. It varies depending on your company’s size, industry, and goals and can include daily stand-up meetings, weekly team meetings, monthly check-ins, quarterly reviews, yearly strategic planning sessions, and more. With so many varieties and moving pieces, it’s no wonder that meeting rhythms become unruly.

Auditing your meeting rhythms is necessary for taking back your team’s time. Healthy meeting practices result in healthier communication, better time management, and more pro-active problem solving. When conducted effectively, the healthier communication results in better collaboration, increased creativity, and a more positive workplace culture. When held at the right frequency, you avoid wasting everyone’s time on unnecessary pop-up or time-wasting meetings and ensure your time is spent in the right places. By focusing on specific goals, team members work together to identify and address potential issues before they become bigger problems. Auditing your meeting rhythm is a win for everyone.

Here’s how to rework your own meeting rhythms.

Identify your meeting goals

First, identify the goals of your business's meetings. Are they for project updates, team building, problem-solving, or brainstorming? What do you need to get done via meetings? Start with a goal for each meeting so everyone knows what needs to happen during your time together. Don’t try to solve everything on all meetings. If everything is the goal then nothing is. Be specific.

Evaluate meeting frequency and duration

Evaluate the time aspects of your meetings. Are you meeting too often or not enough? Are they too long or too short? Evaluating meeting frequency will help ensure that the meetings are productive and not a waste of time.

Evaluate communication methods

How are you communicating before, during, and after the meetings? Are your practices effective, or are they causing misunderstandings and confusion? Are people being heard, or are some voices being drowned out? Does anyone monopolize the conversation? Is it you? Does everyone know when and what they’re expected to share? Do you stay on agenda or do you frequently find yourselves wandering off topic (and over time)? Evaluating communication methods will help ensure that everyone is on the same page and that there are no communication breakdowns.

Auditing your business's meeting rhythms is an essential step to improve communication, time management, and problem-solving. By evaluating the frequency, goals, and communication methods used during meetings, you can make necessary adjustments to ensure that meetings are productive and contribute to the success of your business. Remember, meetings are a tool, and like any tool, they need to be used effectively to be of benefit.

You can use our Meeting Matrix Template to rethink your practices. Get your own copy here.