![\"\"](\"http:\/\/net-recruit.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/irish-hands-21.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThere\u2019s no getting around it, meetings are a necessary evil.<\/p>\n
At one point or another we are all going to have to sit down around a table with our colleagues and talk shop. But the meeting for meeting\u2019s sake has got to be one of the biggest drains on a business\u2019 productivity. Far from information sharing, decision making, ideas development or planning, all too often meetings can become drawn out and unproductive. Not only is this frustrating, it can cost your business money.<\/p>\n
So, if you look at your schedule on a Monday morning and wonder how on earth you\u2019re ever going to get any actual work done, check out our top tips for making your meetings more productive.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Make sure you know exactly what you need to achieve, and that everyone is briefed well in advance. If one person takes responsibility for the agenda, keeps it on track and stops the tangential rambling you are far more likely to realise the meeting objectives. Set a limit for each section, leaving time for questions. And be strict. Skipping an item on the agenda is fine, adding to it is not.<\/p>\n
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos developed the \u2018two pizza\u2019 strategy <\/a>for successful meetings. If you can\u2019t feed a meeting on two pizzas you have too many people in the room. Unless you have one particularly greedy person, in which case you might need to order dough balls.<\/p>\n If the reason for the meeting is little more than \u2018it\u2019s Monday!\u2019 the meeting itself makes little sense. The problem with most small businesses is that it is these \u2018posting\u2019 meetings that become ingrained into a company\u2019s culture, adding little tangible value. Especially against a backdrop of the post-weekend inflated inbox. Get rid of the meeting. And get on with some work.<\/p>\n Stand-up meetings tend to be quicker and more productive. Melissa Dahl <\/a>of New York Magazine recently found that stand-ups can reduce meeting times by 34%. Standing up tends to eliminate distractions, but can also work to empower each speaker. When standing you naturally command more attention and can be more expressive. Also, you just want to sit down. So it\u2019s over quicker. You lazy bunch.<\/p>\n Richard Branson likes to hold his meetings in \u201cinnovative spaces\u201d. Unless your business has its own version of Necker Island this may not always be possible. But you could leave your desk and head to a local park. See also Nilofer Merchant\u2019s TED talk<\/a> on walking meetings. As Branson says: “a change of scenery and a bit of fun does wonders for getting people thinking differently and loosening up!” And he\u2019s done alright for himself.<\/p>\n3. Abolish the Monday meeting<\/h2>\n
4. Stand and deliver<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/net-recruit.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/business-meeting-with-view.jpg\")
<\/p>\n5. Enjoy a change of scene.<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/net-recruit.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/converse-fields-21.jpg\")
<\/p>\n6. Tweet to meet<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/net-recruit.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/iphone-4-closeup-21.jpg\")
<\/p>\n