Message of the week 10 - 14 February 2020

Be bold, don’t hold unproductive meetings

When Harvard Business Review, conducted a survey among 182 senior managers, 71% said that meetings were unproductive and inefficient, while 65% said that meetings prevented them from getting their own work done. The article cited research claiming that meetings have become longer and more frequent over the past 50 years and that executives spend about 23 hours a week in meetings.

While I agree that overly long meetings can have a negative effect on productivity and staff morale, they are still a useful way to brainstorm, share work progress and set strategy. The solution, I believe, lies in the Kyocera philosophy: Be Bold and Meticulous. By being bold in how we set objectives, being meticulous with preparation and structure of our meetings – by not allowing ourselves to stray from the agenda and setting strict time limits – we free ourselves up to concentrate on the business details needed to achieve our aims.

I came across some great techniques on how to run effective meetings in Forbes and Business.com and distilled the following advice:

• Set clear priorities, time limits and distribute an agenda ahead of the meeting - Announce the purpose of the meeting and limit the number of action and discussion items.
• Don’t use the meeting to announce updates that can be sent via email.
• Try walking meetings for internal meetings - By holding a walking meeting you can get some exercise in and reduce the time needed in a sitting meeting. 
• Keep the meeting on track and the conversation moving - Don’t allow individuals to dominate the discussion or repeat what’s already been said. 
• Avoid distractions, like cellphones and emails on laptops during a meeting - Avoid distractions and concentrate on the matter at hand.