6 Great Tips for Making Your Meetings Matter

Use the flipped classroom method: If you want to make sure everyone's on the same page, provide a reading the day before. This is not a graduate level course, so make it pithy and brief. Don't ask people to read something only to neglect it the next day. Use it as a catalyst for discussion. And while you're sending things out, send out your agenda. This will help organize your thoughts and objectives.
And speaking of your agenda, stick to it: This may seem self-evident, but how many of us have been in meetings where the agenda is something to doodle on or worse, talking points for the meeting leader who never, ever shuts up except to ask if anyone has any questions. Few do.
Tell people where you want to go: This is different from an agenda. Your agenda contains discussion points, your objective is what you want to accomplish. You can't blame staff for not getting things done if you don't tell them what they need to do.
Don't ask for discussion if your mind is already made up: Being in a meeting where it's clear the leader has pre-digested all the information and only wants an audience of eager handmaidens wastes everyone's time. It's also disrespectful. Don't be that leader. Instead....
Encourage debate: We've talked about this a lot on these pages. Debate and discussion are healthy. Your staff, team or department (and you, the leader) need to know that discussion doesn't equal hostility, that all voices have value, and help make a better collective concept. Take a page from Jeff Bezos, Amazon's founder, who reputedly asks staff to argue two opposing points.
Leave with an action plan: Meetings that end without an action plan are worthless. Staff should understand what they accomplished, where they need to go next, and what is expected of them. Last, as a leader, the main thing you can do in a meeting is shut-up. JUST LISTEN. Keep discussion on point and moving forward, but for goodness sakes, don't pontificate. You will learn a lot. In the meantime, you will demonstrate respect for your colleague's ideas, foster healthy debate, and hopefully leave with a feeling of accomplishment. You hired smart staff, right? Well, point them in the right direction and let creativity happen. Joan Baldwin