Take a moment to reflect on the time you’ve spent in “meetings” over the past week. More importantly, think about how productive those meetings really were. Often, despite investing a lot of time with colleagues and managers, the actual productivity can be disappointingly low, potentially impacting your daily tasks negatively.

It’s essential to clarify that it’s not the meeting tool itself that’s ineffective, but rather the way it’s utilized.

Let’s revisit a definition we’ve touched on before: a meeting is a short opportunity for decision-making that serves a specific purpose. Brainstorming does not qualify as a meeting and requires entirely different approaches to execution and management. So, what should you keep in mind when planning and conducting an effective meeting?

Duration

Establish a maximum duration that suits the agenda: generally, 30 minutes is sufficient for a meeting. Any longer may turn into a work session but can often fail to result in clear decisions.

Assign roles

Clearly identify who will act as the facilitator, who will track the time, and who will take meeting minutes. This involvement ensures everyone feels engaged and accountable for the meeting’s outcome. These roles can and should rotate to prevent any one person from always bearing the responsibility.

Define an agenda

Create a clear agenda and consider if a meeting is indeed the right format for the topics at hand. Ask yourself: Could this be handled differently? Would another meeting with other attendees be more effective?

Keep the process moving

Stay on schedule and aligned with the agenda. It’s easy to stray off-topic during meetings, leading to wasted time. Keep an eye on the allotted time and strive to steer the discussion back to the intended subjects. If a matter arises that requires further deliberation, plan how to tackle it and consider setting it aside for future meetings. Decide when and who will address it later.

Define next steps

Ensure that everyone leaves the meeting with a clear understanding of the decisions made and the next steps to take.