How to have successful meetings

Meetings have got themselves a bad reputation over the years. With a 2018 study finding that the average employee claims to waste nearly 13 working days every year in ‘unproductive’ meetings, it is easy to see why we take such a dim view of them when they pop up in our diary.

What if we told you that meetings could actually be inspiring, enjoyable and productive experiences? With the average employee spending 187 hours or the equivalent of 23 days a year in meetings, it is high time that we turned the tables and upgraded to successful meetings.

Break the meeting mould

You don’t have to follow the traditional format. In fact, changing things can be just what you need. Try using different tools and tactics to facilitate information sharing and engagement. Here at Fearless Facilitation we have over 60 years combined experience and have tried and tested nearly every tool in the book. We have narrowed this down to 15 of the most innovative facilitation techniques that have been proven to deliver results. A number of these are also deliberately designed to ensure people take ownership of actions and stay on board. Using some new techniques will help you say goodbye to unproductive meetings.

Understand and adapt to personality types

Being able to identify, understand and adapt to the different personality types in the room can not only help avoid conflict but can also create buy-in bringing the room along with you. Importantly being able to understand the different personality types will make you feel more engaged and confident when leading a meeting. You’ll be able to adapt to the blockers, the disruptors and the disengaged, smoothing the issues before they arise. What’s more you can do it to suit your own style, making the whole meeting flow seamlessly.

Put yourself in the position of facilitator

Last but certainly not least, changing the motivation and position you take when leading a meeting can lead to the most significant results. This can be the most important change you can make when it comes to creating successful meetings. When we take the more traditional role of simply running through the agenda or falling into the trap of ‘talking at’ people we miss the opportunities presented to us to create buy-in and draw out hugely helpful information and insights from those in the room. Learning to be a facilitator not only gets the best out of your attendees but can also increase your confidence and turn meetings into an enjoyable experience!

Time is precious and the humble meeting isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. So why not make the most of the time you have with the people in the room? You might just find yourself with a reputation as the facilitation guru and discover people queuing at the door to take part in one of your meetings!

To equip yourself with expert facilitation skills sign up to one of our Fearless Facilitation masterclasses here or contact the team on info@fearlessfacilitaiton.co.uk to arrange training and consultation.