At some point, every one of us has had one of those meetings. You know the ones: after an hour of talking that could have been spent doing actual work, nothing tangible has really been accomplished. When it’s finally over, you’re left staring at bored coworkers and wondering, “What was the point of this meeting anyway?”
Bad meetings are far too common, but the good news is that they’re entirely avoidable. As a manager, you’re responsible for setting the tone of team gatherings, and the experts at Harvard Business Review have some tips for leading meetings that get results. The entire article is worth reading, but we’ve collected some highlights here:
Managers need to focus on being present
Even if you’re not presenting at a meeting, it’s still important for you as a leader to communicate its importance to you. This sometimes means taking a few extra minutes to prepare, but the payoff is well worth it. Your team looks to you for guidance and support, and if you’re preoccupied with checking emails on your phone or still thinking about the call you just finished, they won’t be focused on the task at hand either.
Slow down the conversation to include everyone
Good managers recognize that every member of their team expresses themselves in different ways. Some folks just aren’t comfortable volunteering their ideas unprompted during a meeting, even if they have a great thought in mind. It’s your job to create an inclusive environment in which everyone’s best ideas can come out. This might mean spending a bit more time on each topic and having fewer agenda items, but it will result in a more useful conversation. Think through, during your preparation, who needs to be part of the discussion for each topic. Ask yourself:
Don’t be afraid of some strategic silence
Before moving on to a new topic, ask if anyone has any thoughts or questions. Ask it deliberately and with a tone that signals that this conversation matters to you. And then wait. Pausing conveys that you’re not interested in getting to someplace other than right here, right now — that this conversation matters. Don’t spoil your pauses by making remarks about the lack of response or slowness of a response. People often need a few moments to reflect, find something to say, and think about the best way to express it. Just wait.
Once people realize that you are willing to pause, they’ll become more aware, and when they have a question, they won’t worry that they are slowing down the meeting.