Stating the Obvious — 1

The best way to improve the productivity of a meeting is to not have the meeting.

Photo by Campaign Creators on Unsplash

Clearly, at times, one may need to get something accomplished, communicate a message, or gather information or feedback from others. Basically collaborate.

Regardless of the meeting purpose, there are alternatives:

1) Go talk to the person(s), in person.

2) Pick up the phone. Make several phone calls if you must.

3) Send an email. (a whole other “Stating the Obvious”)

Last resort — have a meeting.

• Keep it simple.
• Keep it as short as possible.
• Have an agenda, publish or share the agenda before the meeting.
• Keep the meeting on track. Enlist a partner to assist with this beforehand in case the meeting or a person goes rogue.
• Review action items.
• Assign responsibility and timelines to action items.
• Publish minutes.
• Follow up. Otherwise, why did you have the meeting?

Ironically, often I have found that a clever person never proposes an idea or decision point at a meeting without already knowing the outcome. Said otherwise, never ask a question you don’t already have the…