In the world of hybrid working, many companies find themselves wasting hours in meetings that lack focus, pull staff away from more productive tasks, or go on for too long. We’ve put together some tips on how to keep these meetings productive.

Create an agenda

Creating an outline of the meeting will help you to stay on track and act as a reminder when anyone starts to veer off course. This can be sent out to everyone beforehand so they know what will be discussed, when.

Define your goal

Begin your meeting with the end in mind. What do you want to achieve from this meeting? Once you know the ideal outcome, you can make sure everyone agrees on key actions and can determine whether or not the goal has been reached.

Keep it short

Longer meetings tend to bring about a decrease in productivity. The ideal meeting length is between 15-18 minutes, anything longer and attention spans start to drop. Choose someone in the room to be timekeeper and have them signal when the discussion is going on for too long, and bring the team back to the agenda.

Facilitate the discussion

Instead of an open discussion, create a take-turn environment where everyone gets the chance to speak. Not only does this avoid long-winded explanations, but it also provides introverted personalities with the opportunity to share their quieter voices.