The perfect meeting

6 Fail-Safe Tips To Make A Meeting Worthwhile

(3 mins to read)

"Do this and it'll get the room buzzing and start creative juices flowing"

A Productive Meeting At Last

We've all been there, 20 minutes into a meeting and we're still bad mouthing the manager who has set us all this mammoth task with a minuscule time frame. And then the meeting comes to a close, zero progress has been made and you're an hour closer to the deadline. Oops.

So, here are a few top tips to ensure your next meeting utilises your time wisely, gets creative and motivates the team to make stuff happen. 

1. Ask the question
Open the meeting with 'what do you want to get out of this meeting?', it may sound cliché, but once you've all collectively established what the main aim is and why everyone is involved, each team member will instantly start to feel like they have a vested interest. 

2. Set an agenda 
Yawn, but seriously worth while. Set the agenda for the hour at the start of the meeting as a group, so that similarly to point 1 you'll all feel you are in it together from the start. 

3. Get everyone to jot down notes
One person writing minutes means that everyone else can rest on their laurels - i.e. zone out and think of wine, cheese and starting their own business. So keep them jotting so they stay focused.  

4. Get creative
No matter what you're discussing, get ideas flowing with Google searches, inspiration boards and competitor snooping. Spend as long as you need on this during the meeting, because this may be as exciting as it gets. Plus, it'll get the room buzzing and start creative juices flowing. 

5. Finish on a high
When you've hit a creative climax, ahem, call the meeting to a close. It's like a cliffhanger - it'll keep people clinging on and chomping at the bit for the next meeting. Wishing they'd got their ideas in sooner. 

6. Keep it hot
Send a very brief summary out to all attendees, asking them to fill in anything missed. Add a date in the diary for the next meeting to keep it hot on the radar, and be sure to book it in for the next 3-5 days, so it stays fresh and relevant. 


When it comes to your second meeting, remember to recap and highlight any key points made. This'll reignite their thoughts from the last meeting.