Ever left a meeting feeling frustrated? You went into a meeting with a goal, and it went in a totally different direction. This type of frustration commonly occurs when meeting objectives do not align.
According to a research study of 182 senior managers, "65% said meetings keep them from completing their own work. 71% said meetings are unproductive and inefficient. 64% said meetings come at the expense of deep thinking. 62% said meetings miss opportunities to bring the team closer together."
When preparing to lead a meeting, you might wonder how to structure your meeting, prioritize important tasks, and track your team's progress. You may use meeting objectives to identify achievable goals that can help guide the discussions. If you want to facilitate productive meetings, then learning how to set clear meeting objectives using could be the answer for you.
For example, I recently had a meeting scheduled with someone who comes off as decisive, practical, and assertive, or what we call a "Red Usual." The topic of the meeting was to think of ways to improve our homepage on the website. I went into the meeting thinking that we would be brainstorming new ideas for a website. However, he was under the impression that I was coming into the meeting with ideas already created. We both could have come into the meeting with clear expectations and clarity by labeling this meeting a "Blue" meeting or a "Red" meeting. Blue would represent a meeting where we would be brainstorming and thinking of new ways to improve it. Red would represent a meeting where we are making decisions on ideas that were already thought about beforehand
Productive meetings are essential to an organization, especially with some of our co-workers working virtually, have a hybrid schedule, or are working full-time in the office. This strategy can help you navigate the social complexitiesof the workplace, lead, and motivate others, and excel in your role. In addition, labeling your meetings with a Birkman color and providing the regular details of the topic and points that will be covered will clarify the objective of the meeting for everyone beforehand.
This will give "Blues" time to prepare their thoughts ahead of time if they are going into a "Red" meeting or "Reds" time to adjust their usual fast-paced behavior for a "Blue" meeting. If your Usual Behavior is "Green" and you are going to a "Yellow" meeting, be mindful of the details. And for "Yellows" going into a "Green" meeting, don't be afraid to vocalize your opinion.
Learn more about the Birkman Colors during our live webinar panel. Find out what each color means for meetings below to really make your meetings more productive.
