The Benefits of Meetings
Meetings are a double-edge sword. We talk a lot about the costs of meetings, but wanted to take the time to remind us of the benefits. A well planned meeting can really provide huge benefits to the organization and personnel. Some of these key benefits are:
Increased Productivity
If the objective is clear, and the team is motivated, meetings can lead to solving a problem, making decisions, or aligning on strategies faster than other forms of communication.
Improved Communication
A well planned meeting can be a great way to get people on the same page. A perfect example is when changing strategy. You need to get your team bought in, and the best way to do that is when people can hear your tone of voice, and see your body language.
Better Decision-Making
Proper sharing of key information, insights, and perspectives can enable a meeting to be a source of better informed and more collaborative decision making, especially on a tight timeline.
Strengthened Relationships
Meetings done right are generally less stressful, providing an opportunity for your team to make connections on a personal level. Since we are a fully remote company, any extra time in meetings is a great way for us to catch up with each other and deepen our understanding of each other.
Increased Engagement
A well run meeting can also increase morale and engagement. Especially if you are fostering a sense of ownership as the team over it.
Clear Direction
A well structured agenda and clear action items, everyone knows what they need to do next. This allows you to focus on the important things to drive the needle further and align on them as a team.
To see these benefits, it’s important to take the time to plan meetings effectively. You can do this by setting clear objectives, creating an agenda, inviting the right people, keeping the meeting on track, and following up with clear action items. These may seem very familiar if you’ve read our newsletter or blog. A key point here is taking the time to plan meetings effectively. This is very hard to do if you don’t include meeting planning as part of the work hours.
