Meetings are essential for all companies. Internal, external, boring, interesting, useful, fun, individual, multitudinous, meetings come in many different shapes and sizes but rarely differ in structure or content.
Many executives believe that they are a waste of time. The routine rarely changes and attendees end up feeling like mere spectators.
Some of the visibly negative aspects of meetings include interrupted work, irregular working hours and last-minute changes.
However, meetings are also an indispensible element of the business world. Ninety-eight percent of respondents regard them as necessary, according to study conducted by Perforny, a firm specializing in business coordination. For the survey, 340 executives were asked to complete a questionnaire after participating in a meeting last November. Among other things, the results revealed that the annual cost of a weekly meeting for 200 people lasting two hours is near on a million euros.
What can be done to improve and optimize the inevitable meeting process in the corporate world? So as to hold effective meetings, it is necessary to meticulously plan the agenda and create comprehensive, structured content that avoids the need for future meetings. One of the issues that greatly frustrate executives is to have to attend inefficient meetings, which make future meetings necessary in the short term. Many executives admit that they leave a meeting with more problems than they had before attending it.
The experts know that, so as to optimize the impact of meetings it is essential to fully address all of the issues on the agenda, plus other related ones, and make the most of the presence of the attendees. Everyone agrees that a long meeting is better than two short, ineffective ones.
Presentation content is central to all meetings. It should be precise, short and visually to the point, as well as being delivered in an attractive but simple format. The use of a methodological yardstick helps the flow and follow-up of the issues addressed at a meeting. Although, by introducing different elements at each meeting, it is easier to transmit messages that surprise and engage attendees.
But how can business meetings be improved? Optimizing the impact of meetings is an expensive task if the necessary tools are unavailable. There are companies like PowerVote that provide audience polling systems that allow attendees to actively participate in meetings. Moreover, these tools measure the impact of the messages transmitted during a meeting by analyzing results. By satisfying the real needs of all the stakeholders, meeting efficiency is greatly increased.
By giving attendees decision-making powers so that they can make their influence felt vis-à-vis issues of certain relevance, they will feel more involved.
Technology helps to revamp old meeting formats, making them more interactive and bringing them in line with today’s needs.
For that reason, Internet access is now a "must-have" at any meeting, since it offers support and helps to solve any problems that might arise, thus influencing the results achieved.
At meetings, interactive and audiovisual elements help engage participants and provide value added. The new meeting era is here to stay.
