Have you ever heard of the term Death by Meeting? It’s real!

Meetings are part of our jobs. And many people don’t like it. Why?

Because they’re too long and boring (there are other reasons but I don’t want to fill this post with too much negativity).

Instead, I’d like to tell you how to make your meetings more effective and how you can appear smart in meetings!

Tips on How to Make Meetings more Effective

Before I give you the infographic on how to appear smart in meetings, let’s talk about these tips first.

1. Think Short

“Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance.” However, simplicity is also critical for effectiveness.

To encourage productivity and interaction among the members, focus on a certain agenda with a clear outcome in mind.

2. Go Light on Handouts

Providing a list of additional materials to support the key ideas in your presentation can be very helpful. You can offer and send it to members separately or upon their requests.

Don’t fill your conference table with handouts. Remember, you are not in a reading class.

3. Collaborate

To encourage engagement among members, there is a need to organize everything and to coordinate with each member.

Include “engagement points” in the agenda and create questions and discussions around it.

4. Use the ensemble cast

A multiple numbers of presenters are needed in a team if your company is presenting on a larger meeting. Meetings are moments of engagement, so there should be no audiences but participants.

Everyone in attendance should have a role in the meeting, whether it is to answer a question, to provide a commentary or to explain the process.

5. Follow-up

The meeting engagement happens within the first 24 hours, so don’t promise to follow up when you’re not capable and willing to do it as soon as possible.

The statement: “We’ll get back to you next week or next few days” only means you are giving the attendees excessive time as an excuse.

There you have it! I hope these small tips will help you prepare for your next meeting!

For the second part of this post, below is an infographic created by Sarah Cooper from The Cooper Review.

I find some of the tips below hilarious. If you want to appear smart in meetings, give each of them a try!

Norberts.