3 Mistakes That Prevent Effective Meetings

These mistakes ruin meetings. Here's what to do.

Mistake #1: Do all of the talking.

Some meetings are run like a medieval court. The chairperson sits on a verbal throne while the subjects sit in respectful silence. The big talker justifies this by thinking: if the other people in the meeting knew anything worthwhile, they’d be leading the meeting.

Reality: If you’re the only one talking, you’re working too hard. In addition, realize that most people protect themselves from long monologues by sending their brains off on a holiday. That is, no one is paying attention to the monologue. Instead, they're busy daydreaming, doodling, or dreaming.

The Fix: Convey large amounts of information by a memo or email. If you must deliver it verbally, call the event a lecture instead of a meeting. And then be as brief as possible.

Mistake #2) Be spontaneous.

Most meetings are held without an agenda or a clearly stated goal. The chairperson simply invites people to an endless discussion, sort of like a party that lasts until everyone is too tired to continue.

Reality: A meeting is a business activity. And it should be run like a business, with a plan. If spontaneity were a universally sound business strategy we would build buildings without blueprints. Of course, no smart business leader works without a plan.

The Fix: Set a goal for the meeting, and then support this with an agenda that accomplishes that goal. Use structured activities that guide the group's efforts toward accomplishing the goal.

Mistake #3: Invite everyone.

Some people hold meetings as if they were free. They think that since people are already at work, their cost is zero. Thus, they invite dozens of people to attend meetings that go on for hours (or longer).

Reality: Meetings are very expensive. They use people’s time, and the payroll is often the largest expense in running a business. When people hold bad meetings, they waste the most important resource in a business - the work that they were hired to perform.

The Fix: Plan meetings that earn a profit. Compare the value of the result with the cost of the meeting, and then invite only enough people to accomplish that task.