For some it has become a “Nom De Guerre”, for others it has become a nightmare whilst for those who can never get hold of someone, there is always a sense of “De Ja Vu” when they are told “I am in a meeting”.

Just as call centres have seemingly become an antithesis of good service, it seems meetings have become a bottleneck for productivity within the workplace. What is it with meetings that they evoke emotions of despair in others whilst it is offers an opportunity of deference in others?

The level of the importance of meetings can never be emphasised and the common denominator for many a “flying” motor vehicle on the road has been “I am on my way to an important meeting”.  In this day and age whereby technology offers the workplace an opportunity to exchange information without gathering around a table, it is often befuddling how certain issues requires a meeting?

However despite the advancement in technology, the lack of productivity due to meetings, it goes without saying that meetings remain very critical tool for building a sense of camaraderie amongst employees. It is the platform where employees see the bigger picture in terms of attaining a common goal.

Primarily the sole purpose of a meeting is for people to gather in order to present or exchange information, plan joint activities, make decisions, or carry out actions already agreed upon.

In essence, almost all projects or tasks at work require a meeting, or meetings to conceptualise or put a sense of direction to that task, thereby enabling a seamless completion of the task and discernible outcomes or products. Even staff members of over 500 often have to all meet quarterly to see the bigger picture or where their company is headed.

At the core, meetings are exceptionally effective tools for communicating ideas, clarifying information, solving problems, making decisions and building teams. However meetings seemingly achieve the opposite.

It is not out of place to hear employees lament, “meetings do not address mission critical! Why was I invited to that meeting in the first place? Meetings are a waste of time! We never get anything accomplished and these meetings are boring”. From a productivity perspective, how can we make meetings more effective?

All meetings must have a clear purpose communicate beforehand

If the purpose of the meeting is unclear, get into the habit of asking the organiser, so that I do not waste your time, please can you tell me the objective of the meeting and why you need me there? This can serve as a polite and efficient way of ensuring meeting are goal-driven.

Advocate for punctuality.

According to the leadership guru, Brian Tracy, punctuality for meetings builds trust and respect and hones your management skills. Do not punish the people who arrived on time by waiting for the latecomers.

Assume that they are not coming, and kick off the meeting. Sticking to a set timeframe and topic for a meeting prevents digressing and thus ensures less time is wasted.

Invite as few people as you can

Do you really need the whole department to attend most meetings? This approach can be counterproductive as it is fundamental to always have someone to attend to clients or stakeholders. Rather hold major staff meetings quarterly and for other meetings, invite personnel who are designated to deal with that particular issue.

Publicly assign owners and accountability

Always keep in mind the rationale behind convening a meeting and not lose sight of the envisaged outcome. An effective meeting leads to a decision. However that decision dies if nobody takes ownership of the decision. Assign ownership in the meeting. Get everyone to publicly agree on who will do what by when and recap this action items in the meeting follow up notes, be this by email or minutes.

Most importantly, hold people accountable for doing what they said they would, including yourself. Ensure that attendees leave meetings with actionable tasks, each with clear owners.

Prepare before the meeting

To allow individuals an opportunity to prepare for meetings, if necessary, it is important to notify them beforehand for preparation purposes.

This allows them to gather any information they may need for the meeting such as documentation and equipment.

Do not stall on decision-making unnecessarily

Whereby critical decisions need to be taken, do not unnecessary call a meeting when you have the wherewithal to make an informed decision.In conclusion meetings are fundamental tool to ensure proper operations and enable productivity. As a skilled meeting leader, by applying these simple principles for a meeting, you can get more done in less time, increase teamwork, and demonstrate your ability to attain results.

Bongani Coka is the CEO of Productivity SA.