Expert Advice
Signs that your meeting may be a time-waster
September 2009

Anyone who has worked in an office environment knows that meetings are inevitable. They also know that these gatherings sometimes seem to serve no purpose. In fact, executives surveyed by OfficeTeam said that 28 percent of meetings are unnecessary, according to Robert Hosking, executive director of OfficeTeam. The next time you lead a meeting, heed the following signs that the gathering could be a waste of time:

• You’ve left nothing out. It’s a good idea to have a meeting agenda, but it shouldn’t be excessively long. Also, just because you’ve set aside a certain period of time for the get-together, that doesn’t mean you need to fill every minute. Look through the agenda for repetitive items, which can be combined, or topics that can be left for another meeting.
• You’ve invited everyone you can think of. Look through your list of attendees to determine if everyone must be included in the discussion. Often, people are invited as a courtesy instead of out of necessity. A lengthy participant list also may indicate that you are trying to accomplish too much in a single meeting. Ask yourself if each person who’s attending has a stake in the majority of items on the agenda. If not, you either need to trim the list of invitees or revise the agenda.
• The meeting runs longer than an hour. Time is a precious commodity, especially in a recession, when everyone is being asked to take on more work. So having people sit in a meeting for longer than an hour is asking a lot. Plus, it’s likely that attendees will start to lose focus as the gathering runs on. Whenever possible, keep meetings under an hour. If you must schedule more time, try to get people to interact, offer them snacks or vary the speakers to help everyone remain engaged. For very long meetings, schedule a break so people can stretch their legs and check their messages.
• There are too many visual elements. Visuals, such as PowerPoint slides, can be effective for simplify-ing complex ideas or reinforcing information. But they can also bog down the discussion. Instead, distribute the visual elements to attendees before the get-together, so everyone has time to review them. Because participants will be familiar with the information when they arrive at the meeting, you can simply highlight the most important parts and move through the agenda more quickly.
• They’re becoming a habit. If you have routine meetings, you may want to step back and determine if it’s necessary to continue doing so. For instance, if you’re having a difficult time coming up with enough agenda items for each gathering, or the meetings are getting progressively shorter or less effective, you may need to adjust the frequency.

By paying attention to the various dynamics of the gatherings you schedule and making adjustments as neces-sary, you’ll know that the meetings you organize are successful and that the participants will find them valuable as well.

Robert Hosking is executive director of OfficeTeam, the nation’s leading staffing service specializing in the temporary placement of highly skilled administrative and office support professionals. OfficeTeam has more than 325 locations worldwide and offers online job search services at www.officeteam.com.