Keeping Meetings Short is now mostly held online as a result of Covid-19. Meetings should be kept brief no matter how you attend or manage them.

Anxiety is reduced by thorough meeting preparation. Meetings that are well-planned are more likely to be relevant and run on time. Attendees who are uniformed, dull, or uninterested do not hold them back. To keep your meetings on track and on schedule, use these tried-and-true strategies.

During the meeting to keep meetings short

• Avoid giving all handouts at the beginning of the meeting. Attendees often leaf through the paperwork instead of being attentive.
• Unfortunately, well-planned meetings can be derailed by meeting participants. If you have an assertive meeting chair, s/he can get the meeting back on track. Yet, anyone can step in if they have the confidence or organisational clout.
• An upright and open posture is commanding. You can change the volume, pitch, speed, or tone of your voice. This will keep people’s interest and engagement by leaning forward.
• Monitoring other people’s body language can keep you on top of the meeting. Involve slouching or disinterested people by asking for their opinions.
• When it is your turn to present, remind others that your aim is to keep the meeting as short as possible. Your intention can motivate others to do the same.
• If speakers are long-winded or have a personal agenda, you can take control. Do this by assuming a moderator’s role with a few well-placed interruptions. Say “May we address the next item on our agenda?” or “Would it be possible for us to go over the details later? Or “Can we discuss the specifics offline?”
• Suggest a short toilet break to stretch if the meeting is dragging.
• If an argument or unresolved item prolongs a meeting, call the formal part of the meeting to an end. Organise a separate meeting to address the issue.
• Before ending the meeting, solidify specific task ownership and action items.

To summarize, meetings should be kept brief.

Make sure a lengthy meeting isn’t taking up your important time. Make it clear that you will only be available at the scheduled meeting time. Please excuse yourself if the meeting lasts longer than expected.

You should start and end your meetings on time. Make a name for yourself as a host of brief, well-organized meetings. Your coworkers will look up to you. When they believe you appreciate their time, they will offer significantly more. If you’re having trouble organizing your meeting, give us a call and we’ll help you out.