Posts in category: Work Meetings

Managing to make a work meeting effective is not always an easy task. We are sure that more than once you have found yourself in a work meeting which seemed endless and which was not in the least directed at obtaining productive results for the company. We set a time but we arrive late; we digress from the points under discussion, personal conversations and questions appear…    

An effective meeting is one which manages to achieve the objective it was convened for and does so efficiently. The diversity of points of view or the complexity of the topic being dealt with can make the objective more complicated. However, there are certain practices and tips for effective meetings which may help us to “steady our aim“ and feel that the time during which we have been speaking has allowed us to continue making progress. Let us look at them.

Rules for efficient and effective meetings

How can we make our meetings effective? If the intention is to make our assembly into a productive meeting, it is essential to draw up a well defined plan with certain rules for efficient and effective work meetings which work. Good management and the appropriate attitude of those present is required for success and to deliver a productive meeting.Let us take a look at some indispensable points on how to run work meetings. 

• Invite only the people who are strictly necessary: We should only invite the people who are really necessary. 
• Schedule the meeting in advance so that everyone can prepare it: It is fundamental that we  let all the participants know when the meeting will be in order to prepare for it.
• Be punctual: Starting on time is crucial to be able to finish at the designated time having touched on all the points in the agenda. 
• Stipulate the maximum length of time: If we want to improve our work meetings then we must not leave to chance the amount of time we willl use for the meeting. 
• Aim for short meetings: If a meeting is prolonged, the only thing we manage to do is to bore the participants and waste very valuable time when we could be acting productively.
• No spaces or elements which can distract: It is a basic requirement that all the attention of the workers is focused on the meeting. We must remove any element that may act as a distraction.
• Support with documents, without excesses: It is necessary to present documents which are related with the topic of the meeting but within limits.
• Avoid off topic discussions: It is important for everyone to be committed to focussing the meeting on the topic for which it was convened. This is sometimes difficult due to personal relations in the workplace but these questions should be left for a time before or after the meeting. 
• Encourage the participation of all the attendees: Meetings sometimes get sidetracked with questions that do not necessarily concern or interest all the professional profiles who were convened for the meeting. Consequently, it is a good idea to plan a structure of content and management which foments the participation of all the guests. In this way, there will be more and better ideas, as well as making all the guests feel involved in the task. 
• Take notes of everything discussed and follow up with a summary. This helps to internalise the matters dealt with for the participants, in addition to clearly establishing what was discussed in order to avoid misunderstandings later.

How to lead effective work meetings

In some of the previous points, we have seen that the key lies in good management of the meeting. Generally speaking, it is true that the willingness of the participants for a useful and productive meeting for all is evident, but occasionally in groups where a hierarchy is absent, that objective fades away without our realising it. It is therefore essential to have good management of the meeting.  

Leading effective work meetings start by having a plan, set objectives, know the profiles of the attendees well… aspects to take into account in what we call the 5 Ps of efficient meetings which you can also read in this post.

Apart from what is stated in the guidelines of the 5 Ps, the leader of the meeting is responsible for seeing that the meeting stays on the required course and for making sure that all the items are dealt with and respected. Likewise, the fact that there is a chairperson or leader, avoids dialogues from becoming intertwined and prevents the meeting from being disorganised or unduly long.     

Let us now take a look at some practices to be followed and others to be avoided  by the chair in a work meeting:

Positive practices for leading a work  meeting

• Begin with the principal reason for calling the meeting: It is vital that the participants are clear about the reason for the meeting from the very start. This avoids previous explanations.
  
• Leave time for questions at the end: It is always a good idea to conclude the meeting with some time for questions. If the question is relevant to the progress of the  meeting, we can be flexible.
  
• Make a brief summary before finishing: Before finishing, the chair must summarise the objectives and the conclusions arrived at.
  
• Send the conclusions by email: A good way to remember everything that has been discussed is to send the conclusions by email to each participant.

Practices to be avoided when leading a work meeting.

• Not having  prior planning: When we do not have a prior plan of the items to be dealt with, the meeting becomes a hotchpotch of topics. It is essential to establish a plan with the important points in order to reach the final objective.
• Provide too many conveniences which may prolong the meeting: When we hold a meeting in a pleasant relaxed atmosphere, we end up converting it into an unproductive space of entertainment. We can avoid spaces which are comfortable and convenient in excess and also permissiveness  in the face of certain attitudes.
• Digress from the point to matters which are not on the agenda: We must write down the points to be dealt with and prevent the participants from digressing. If this happens, the topic must be readressed.
• Introduce personal themes which detract from the objective: Personal questions which distract from the topic must never be introduced. This is particularly relevant first thing on Monday mornings, when we workers find it most difficult to reconnect. If the meeting gets sidetracked, we must redirect it tactfully but quickly and effectively.
• Monopolize the time with long discourses: Lengthy interventions end up boring the participants and contribute to the objectives not being reached. We must be concise leading the meeting but also ask the participants to be succinct. 
• Go over the stipulated time: Excessively long meetings usually prove to be tedious and boring. We must set a maximum time length.

Effective online meetings

In recent years, we have witnessed a gradual change in the way we understand work meetings. New technologies have allowed teleworking and the discussion of important topics without leaving our homes or offices. The result of this has been that although the essence remains the same and  some guidelines for behaviour are unaltered, there are certain aspects of meetings which may differ in an online context. Let us look at a few tips for effective online meetings.   

• Establish rules which govern online participation. Short delays in online communications may cause a certain amount of chaos in the conversation with speeches overlapping, misunderstadings… For this reason it is important for the chair to be strict and exercise  scrupulous respect for the talking time of each participant.
  
• Use efficient and useful online collaboration tools. Nowadays, a multitude of tools which facilitate video conferences or virtual meetings exist. Each one has its singularities, services, strengths, weaknesses… we have to carry out a little research work to find the tool which best adapts to the needs of our team.  
  
• Make sure that all the team has the necessary technology. Similarly, choosing the tool is not enough, we must also make sure that all the participants in the meeting can access it comfortably.
  
• Account for the time difference. When working with teams in different time zones, it is vital to agree meeting times which are convenient for the work routines of all the participants.

A perfect space for the most important meetings

If you have an important meeting and you want to hold it in a special setting which is professionalized and equipped with the latest technologies, we offer you the possibility to  do so in one of our suites at the Grand Luxor Business & Events. With these few tips and an impressive space like this we are sure you will have a successful work meeting. Give it a try!

_{Main picture: Mario Gogh on Unsplash}

Work meetings are fundamental to carry out the collective activities of a company.However, we have encountered on many occasions  certain meetings or approaches which far from pursuing the objective of being beneficial, end up digressing from the purpose and become extremely counterproductive.    

We are sure that you know what we are referring to. In fact, we did a post where we gave 18 tips on how to make a workplace meeting productive. 

Picture: Jason Goodman on Unsplash

How do we make meetings more effective?

In this post we are going to condense those tips into 5 key points for holding a work meeting which will be effective in terms of achieving its goal. This involves an action  list named: the 5 Ps of effective meetings. 5 points (all of which begin with P) and whose observance facilitates the management of a meeting which pursues a final objective.They are as follows :   

• Purpose
• Participants
• Planning
• Participation
• Perspective

Let us analyse one by one how the following points can turn our meetings into beneficial work spaces which help us to coordinate future work actions of the elements of a company or of a group. 

Purpose

The first P is the purpose, that is, the reason for calling the meeting. Without a clear purpose it is very difficult for a working meeting to be effective. In fact, the more specific the purpose, the more difficult it will be to digress and therefore the message will be sharper and the results more effective.   

In general the aims of a work meeting are limited to three options : 

• Make an announcement from the organiser to the attendees
• Take a joint decision connected with a company matter.
• Debate or discuss ideas concerning a company matter.

Think of these three options. Anything not covered by this list is unlikely to be of use to the everyday work and correct running of the firm. Try it out. Everything fits into one of these three points. 

Participants

This point refers to the participants, the members of the company, partners, clients… who will take part in the meeting. There are many variables included in this point but we must consider principally these:  

• The size: How many people will there be in the meeting? The number is particularly important when taking a decision or sharing an idea is involved. With few people we run the risk of not taking into account the opinion of relevant members of the team. On the other hand, too many attendees dilute the focus of the meeting.It is the organiser´s responsibility to understand what the exact number of participants should be in each case. 
  
• The homogenous group: If we want to foment debate and the flow of ideas for a more creative result, it is always preferable to create a group with diversity of mentality and worker profiles. However, when the aim is to be effective in a short space of time, a homogenous group will make a decision quickly. 
  
• Profile of the participants: Cooperative vs competitive. Depending on the aim of the meeting, one profile or another can be of more use to us. Cooperative profiles will work towards an attainable goal via a joint effort. They think of the process. The competitive group will try to reach the best result independently, without regard to the rest of their colleagues. They think of the activity.
  
• Decision makers, strategists, creative and technical people: There are many professional profiles that form part of a productive process. Who should be convened depending on the purpose of the meeting? Do I need people capable of taking quick decisions and taking responsibility for the consequences? Is the presence of creative people capable of coming up with out of the box solutions required? Does my meeting need workers who are able to establish an objective and draw up a plan to achieve it? Or do I need people with extensive technical knowledge in order to know how to develop an idea? Sometimes, meetings only need one of these profiles, several or even all of them. 

Planning

Planning is crucial for a well-run meeting. This allows us to have at our disposal all the information from the organiser, along with the necessary resources to face possible questions, doubts or reservations of the attendees. We have several rules with this point which make our job easier. 

• Halfway rule: The organiser must have available all the information for the meeting never  later than a point halfway between the previous meeting and the next. 
  
• Report rule: The reports of the meeting must be organised by topics to prevent the meeting from dispersing into different points.
  
• Agenda rules:.Agendas vary subject to the items dealt with.They can be established by indicating the importance of those items: set aside two thirds of the meeting for current matters and the last third for the most recent agenda and ideas.Focusing on the most weighty matters in the central part of the meeting can also be a way of organising the agenda.Let us remember the most important rules; starting and finishing at the allocated times and that of not skipping a single item. 

Participation

This point attempts to establish for the attendees some basic guidelines for  participating in order to have a well-run meeting. 

• Introduce the participants at the beginning
• Provide basic information and instructions of the meeting
• Indicate clearly what the decision making process will be.
• Use the appropriate means for presenting each idea.
• Encourage participation
• Offer a final summary

Perspective

This consists of keeping a distance from the matters discussed, the ideas presented and the decisions taken. A good method is to gauge the opinion of the participants themselves or to make an assessment some days after the meeting in the following way, using the Stop, Start, Continue method.  

• Stop: Points to stop as they did not work
• Start: New Points to begin with in future meetings
• Continue: Points to be maintained as they worked well 

The metaverse has been on everyone´s lips in the last few months in the world of entertainment and also in business circles. A new form  of perceiving  the way in which we interact seems to have captured the interest of big companies like Microsoft or Facebook, who are already preparing their respective platforms in what appears to be an evolutionary leap in the constantly changing world of communications.  

In this article we want to shed some light on this “parallel universe“ and we would like to share a few reflections  with you on how the metaverse could change the way in which we currently understand social relations in a work environment.  

What is the metaverse ?

The metaverse is a virtual world, an immersive experience in which the users will interact in a parallel world. As with any new conception of an idea, it still seems to be a concept which is too general. We have great difficulty in visualising it and understanding exactly to what extent its implementation could change the world of social and business relations as we know them.   

Consequently, we are going to make a short introduction to some aspects we believe will be relevant in the future, related with the field of work meetings and large scale coporate events.

The implications of the metaverse at a company level and in the organization of corporate events. 

There is no doubt that the leap forward into the virtual world , should it happen, will represent an enormous challenge for most companies.We are already used to the  demand for  ever more innovative technology made by the business world, but Which areas of a company may be affected the most ?  

Virtual work meetings

Constantly improving Internet connections and the rise of teleworking as a result of the worldwide sanitary crisis stemming from Covid-19 has obliged us to become familiar with digital meetings. With this we have learnt the concomitant advantages but also the disadvantages.   

It is not exaggerated to say that long meetings via a screen at times represent a difficulty in order to pay attention continuously. The sensory immersion method using 3D glasses and headphones makes the user feel that he is really face to face with the interlocutor, in spite of being thousands of kilometres away. This results in an enhanced focus of attention and concentration. 

We can add to this that the scenario of the meeting is up to the imagination of the organiser. What if we meet at the top of the tallest business building in the world ? 

Presentations of virtual products

Imagine we could make a product showroom without even having  a prototype ?

What if  the user could interact , feel the dimensions and the texture of a product which is only an idea and has not even been created ?

The metaverse, through sensorial immersion, could place a product in our hands so we can interact with it, and really get to know how it works, its size for example in the case of a smartphone , or even sit us at the controls of a vehicle that has not been made yet .

Likewise, a building manager would be able to show every minimal aspect  of the stage of construction of a project to the shareholders or an investor could understand the workings of a new aircraft engine from the perspective  of an air particle.    

Travel without moving from home 

For business trips and the tourism sector, we can find original and convenient ideas in the metaverse. Mice tourism could find a new slant where the traveller stays at home and yet can live different experiences virtually. Be a virtual spectator at a NFL match in a VIP box, see the sunset from the top of Mount Everest or discover a completely innovative experience such as feeling like a bird flying over the African Savanna.

The metaverse at corporate events: No limit to the imagination 

Imagine a Networking event that has no beginning nor end  , just a virtual space accessed at any time where you can contribute your knowledge or merely attend the session. How about  a competition in the metaverse between companies where the winner is the one who displays the best organization in a virtual kitchen? The metaverse offers infinite possibilities for creating spaces, elements, routines , scenarios…… 

The future of Mice events with the metaverse

The existence of the metaverse, however, will still not be able to fulfill the human need to establish real social relations. For this reason it is important to understand that physical meetings will not be replaced in any way , rather they will be combined with extrasensorial experiences and these will represent the differential value.

The whole auditorium will be able to take the controls of the prototype of a new yacht at the same time, whilst each participant discusses his impressions with the person next to him; a small group of investors will enjoy a winetasting while they stroll through the vineyard where it all started; and in the next shareholders meeting held in a coastal town, each attendee will be able to surf the sales figures just by moving his fingers.

MICE events can undergo an authentic transformation with the incorporation of the metaverse in the business world, however, its combination with the human touch , which all employees value, will be the key to the success of the event.

Foto: Bram Van Oost en Unsplash

Climate change and the sanitary crisis of the last two years have transformed users´ consumer habits dramatically, making them more and more aware of the acquisition of products based on the circular economy through socially responsible companies.

Sustainablity and care for the environment is a rising trend among consumers whose demand for a responsible economy can be satisfied thanks to the new technologies. 

This transformation has also become clear  in the field of MICE tourism through a new methodology which eliminates traditional actions such as the use of the information profile in a physical format, improving the experience of the attendees and additionally generating a space with reduced consumption. 

The digital information profile 

The traditional dossier or paper profile has been replaced by a digital alternative which offers a series of advantages for the experience of the users with the brand, providing the possibility to interact in real time, generate immersion or gamification experiences and the chance to access the content even before the start of the event, simply and at a reduced cost.  

• Greater scope at a lower cost: Unlike the limitation of a paper format, the digital information profile can reach thousands of people in a simple way. Its diffusion, irrespective of the number of attendees, does not imply an increase in the cost and can be distributed to the users in multiple ways ( email, website, social networks…) Moreover, its digital nature allows the users to share it with their contacts and create a snowball effect.    
• Less storage space and ubiquity: Equally, the digital profile gives us the possibility to consult it from anywhere we may be, always within reach via a device such as a mobile phone. In addition, it does not take up physical space nor does it deteriorate over time.
• Creativity in the formats: All the creativity which was previously set down on paper has now moved to multiple disciplines:  design, image, videos… A digital profile embraces multiple formats, namely high resolution photographs, videos,audios or interviews. Didactic explanations in a few minutes…..a veritable arsenal of knowledge concentrated in little space which allows us to explore the multiple and more effective ways of conveying the message.
• Prolongation in space and time: What if our creativity permitted us to stretch the experience of the user beyond the event in space and time? For example, providing further information in real time via the mobile phone or a newsletter service …or a forum where all the attendees can interact “sine die“. This also lets us offer initial basic information which is neither invasive nor overwhelming , and it is the user himself who broadens his information on demand ,for instance by later accessing all the information on a website. 
• Ability to offer metrics: Furthermore ,the digital environment lets us measure the user´s experience through his behaviour in the content which is offered. In this way, an event can provide very useful information which will be of great help for the next one, by knowing the strong points and those where the users have not shown very much interest. 
• And all of this with a lesser environmental impact: Digitalization allows us to dispense with the high environmental cost which paper implies, above all when we are talking of extensive profiles in large scale events. Our company thus improves not only the manner in which the precise information is presented to the user, but also does it in a socially responsible way, engaged with a problem which is increasingly a matter of concern in the mind of the consumer.

Picture: Marek Levak on Unsplash