How to Organize a Productive Business Meeting

1. How to Organize A Productive Business Meeting Meetings are an important criterion for any business, which also makes audio transcription services a significant consideration. You can follow certain tips to make business meetings more productive and useful. MOS Legal Transcription Company 8596 E. 101st Street, Suite H Tulsa, OK 74133

2. Meetings are face-to-face discussions organized for effective decision making. It is a platform where new ideas and opinions emerge that propel the growth of a business. Meetings are an important criterion for any business, which also makes audio transcription servicesa significant consideration. Well-planned and well-executed meetings are beneficial for any company. Typically, meetings are convened to review the progress of various projects or to solve issues related to overall management, or discuss matters related to employees. Running a meeting requires specific management skills and failing to do so can harm the productivity of the business. So here are some effective tips to organize a meeting: • Organize a meeting only when you genuinely require it: A meeting without a central agenda is a waste of time. This will only serve to hamper employee productivity. Therefore, the purpose behind the meeting should be very clear. • Schedule the meeting at the right time: The ideal time of the day to convene a meeting is morning, because this increases the possibility of active participation of all attendees. People are energetic and fresh in the morning, which are major requirements to generating inspired and valuable suggestions and ideas. • Positive attitude is a must: Have a positive attitude towards the meeting. Positive attitude along with full cooperation from employees helps to achieve results, quick problem solving, decision making, and provides motivation and inspiration. • Have an agenda: Having an agenda ensures that pertinent information concerning the issues to be discussed is passed to the participants in advance. It keeps the meeting on track and also keeps the discussion centred on the meeting’s purpose. • Take opinions for preparing an agenda: Preparing an agenda is a manager’s responsibility but it is always good to invite opinions from other team members. This is because employees might want to discuss certain topics or issues. This encourages collaborations and also increases team morale through communications. Send emails to your team asking for any ideas and topics they wish to discuss. • Prepare a proper schedule: It is important to set a meeting schedule and distribute individual timings to talk about each topic. To avoid delays, follow the schedule closely. Begin and conclude the meeting on time. There is no need to wait for latecomers and it is better not to allow latecomers inside once the meeting has started. • Ensure that the meeting is a brief one: Managers must see to it that all attendees participate in the meeting, but do not encourage lengthy talks on the part of anyone. Ensure that the meeting doesn’t drag on because of somebody discussing trivial or irrelevant points. www.legaltranscriptionservice.com (800) 670 2809

3. • Promote collaborations: A meeting is a platform for sharing information. It is also time dedicated to solving problems or making important decisions and requires the whole team’s input. Though challenging, active collaboration is the best way to gain fresh perspectives and opinions. • Provide White Space: Leave a blank space within your agenda. Allocate some time at the end of the meeting so that it allows spontaneous discussions which encourages engagement and creativity. If there are many more items on the agenda to be discussed, let the employees go back to work and discuss them later. • Oversee the meeting: The agenda of the meeting should not be delegated to a team member or an administrative assistant. It is the responsibility of the leader to call for meetings and ask the right questions when preparing for the meeting. • Be friendly: A manager need not be strict or authoritative all the time. Reprimanding an employee in front of others for being late is an example of being authoritative. So, avoid that and incorporate humility and a sense of humour into your meetings. • Follow up: Remember all the actions and decisions made during a meeting and follow up with the team members to ensure that there is progress. Conducting a meeting with incomplete projects is meaningless. So, follow up after the meeting and before the next meeting hold those accountable to their commitments to the project. • Bring variety to your meeting: This can make meetings more interesting. Some ideas are: Celebrating something o Team-building activities o Use interesting and fun food options o Encourage team brainstorming sessions o Invite guest speakers o Change location for meeting o • Be a role model: Make sure that you have control over your team and ensure that there is no sarcasm, cynicism, bad jokes, or bashing other departments or managements or team members. An important thing to remember when organizing meetings is to arrange for a reliable meeting transcription solution provided by a professional business transcription company. All audio and video equipment should be functioning flawlessly so that the recordings are clear, and the transcripts are accurate. Once the meeting is over, review the results achieved – i.e. whether your objectives have been met. Identify where things may have gone off track so that you can make the next meeting more efficient and productive. www.legaltranscriptionservice.com (800) 670 2809

4. Harvard Business Review gives the following useful checklist to consider when organizing a meeting. www.legaltranscriptionservice.com (800) 670 2809