Are you finding that your company is constantly having meetings, nothing seems to get done, and you seem to be rehashing the same topics week after week? Ineffective meetings are one of the largest productivity killers in any organization. Here are some of the common dysfunctions I have seen from meetings:

• Digression: The discussion seems to go off topic and before you know it, the time allocated for the meeting has elapsed and the decisions you had planned to make remain undecided.
• Rehash of same topics: Every week, you meet and you seem to be discussing the same issues with tasks uncompleted.
• Too much time spent reviewing content, rather than making decisions: People show up to the meeting unprepared, so time is wasted presenting information, rather than making decisions.
• Shit never gets done: When asked about completion of tasks, people constantly apologize for not completing their tasks because they were too busy.

I have noticed this dysfunction with a number of clients and there is a ripple effect beyond effectiveness. Employees complain about how they can’t get their work done because they are always tied up in useless meetings. They start to criticize management for being incompetent, become disengaged and try to avoid these meetings at all costs. I have worked with a number of clients to establish guidelines to make meetings more effective:

• Meeting should only include individuals who are providing important content, responsible for tasks or making decisions – too many people in the room leads to digression to other topics
• Clear detailed agenda circulated ahead of time
• Designate a leader to run the meeting – time allocation for each topic to ensure all key issues get covered and inform individuals of digression
• Materials circulated a few days in advance of the meeting with a requirement for all participants to be prepared ahead of time – if participants are reading the materials at the meeting or having to ask questions to get up to speed, the meeting becomes ineffective
• Appoint an individual to capture minutes for every meeting – preferably an individual who does not need to do a lot of speaking
• Have a clear process for decision making – approval of tasks / projects
• Do not digress – if another important topic comes up inadvertently, have the note taker park the idea and only address it if there is additional time at the end of the meeting
• Ensure all participants are absolutely clear about the goals of the project / task
• Ensure all participants are absolutely clear about action items – who is doing what?  Only one person should be accountable for each action item, even if the action item is to be completed by a team
• Participants who work in small teams should be responsible for setting their own meetings to complete tasks
• Note taker should send out full minutes with action items, ideally on the same day of the meeting
• At the next meeting, review action items from previous meeting – this ensures accountability and applies pressure for participants to complete their tasks

The ability to have effective meetings where key decisions are made in an informed manner is a reflection of strong leadership. Not only will conducting effective meetings make your company more productive, it will also boost morale and build confidence among your staff that leadership knows what it is doing.