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12 Tips for Better Business Meetings

September 24, 2018

Busi­ness meet­ings can fos­ter col­lab­o­ra­tion, inno­va­tion and action — yet most employ­ees gasp with frus­tra­tion at the thought of anoth­er meeting.

Stop encour­ag­ing meet­ing medi­oc­rity and, instead, use every meet­ing to make things hap­pen with these tips:

  1. Ask your­self, does this meet­ing real­ly need to happen?
  2. Select par­tic­i­pants wise­ly – does every­one real­ly need to be in the meeting?
  3. Pro­vide an agen­da to par­tic­i­pants in advance.
  4. Clear­ly deter­mine and com­mu­ni­cate the intend­ed meet­ing out­comes so that par­tic­i­pants under­stand the pur­pose and ben­e­fits of meeting.
  5. If atten­dees are required to review infor­ma­tion in advance, send it to them pri­or to the meet­ing; do not waste time review­ing doc­u­ments dur­ing the meeting.
  6. Estab­lish stan­dard meet­ing eti­quette that is used con­sis­tent­ly. For exam­ple, start and end on time and give every­one the oppor­tu­ni­ty to con­tribute to the discussion.
  7. Instill an action-dri­ven cul­ture even dur­ing meetings.
  8. Doc­u­ment assigned actions and the per­son or team respon­si­ble for each action; every­one needs to leave with mean­ing­ful things to accomplish.
  9. Com­mu­ni­cate when actions must be com­plet­ed; fol­low up on each action to ensure completion.
  10. Have some­one take notes – ide­al­ly a sup­port per­son so the CEO or exec­u­tive team can think rather than write or type.
  11. Encour­age col­lab­o­ra­tion but stay focused, oth­er­wise meet­ings will always take up more time than allotted.
  12. Recap actions at the end and then send a sum­ma­ry to every­one with­in half an hour.

About Lawrence & Co.
Lawrence & Co. is a growth strategy and leadership advisory firm that helps mid-market companies achieve lasting, reliable growth. Our Growth Management System turns 30 years of experience into practical steps that drive clarity, alignment, and performance—so leaders can grow faster, with less friction, and greater confidence.

About Kevin Lawrence
Kevin Lawrence has spent three decades helping companies scale from tens of millions to hundreds of millions in revenue. He works side-by-side with CEOs and leadership teams across North America, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, and Europe, bringing real-world insights from hands-on experience. Kevin is the author of Your Oxygen Mask First, a book of 17 habits to help high-performing leaders grow sustainably while protecting their mental health and resilience. He also contributed to Scaling Up (Rockefeller Habits 2.0). Based in Vancouver, he leads Lawrence & Co, a boutique firm of growth advisors.