As companies become more focused on efficiency, productivity and profitability, it has become essential that businesses look at their numbers to ensure that their time, money, and manpower are being put to good use — one of the biggest opportunities lies in assessing how business meetings are run.
We’ve all been in meetings that were run poorly, included the wrong people and didn’t lead to concrete objectives. By improving how meetings are run, businesses have a major way to immediately improve the way time is managed and how team members collaborate. Following best practices, using the right collaboration tools and holding everyone accountable can significantly improve your meeting experience.
What is a business meeting?
A business meeting is a gathering of two or more people for the purpose of making decisions or discussing company objectives and operations. Business meetings are generally conducted in person in an office, however with the rise of video conferencing technologies, participants can join a business meeting from anywhere.
Let’s take a look at the six most common types of business meetings, including:
- Status Update Meetings
- Decision-Making Meetings
- Problem-Solving Meetings
- Team-Building Meetings
- Idea-Sharing Meetings
- Innovation Meetings
6 Types of Business Meetings for Better Efficiency & Communication
Before planning meetings, it is necessary to identify what type of meeting it is. There is actually a huge difference between a weekly status meeting and an emergency meeting that might require urgent action.
1. Status Update Meetings
Almost every company is familiar with those recurring team meetings that were initially intended to share updates on the latest projects and make sure everyone on the team is on the same page about the process of the project. These meetings are meant to remedy any communication hiccups that may end up wasting significant amounts of time doing the same thing or facing the same challenges over and over.
While these types of meetings might not be the most fun or engaging, businesses use them to address any problems that have come up, assign tasks and make any decisions necessary to move forward effectively. Such meetings can turn into quick sync-ups and are less susceptible to dragging on past the given time frame.
2. Decision-Making Meetings
Although managers generally have the final say, the discussions around important business decisions often occur in larger groups. Smaller decisions may be made in status update meetings, but important ones will command their own dedicated meeting times.
The process of making a decision could be spread out over several different meetings so that all parties have a chance to gather information, come up with solutions and vote on how best to move forward. This can result in a lot of time tied up in meetings and communicating back and forth.
3. Problem-Solving Meetings
Similar to decision-making meetings, problem-solving meetings have a specific goal in mind. There’s no standard problem-solving meeting since issues vary depending on your team and your organization, but these types of meetings are crucial nonetheless.
These meetings may be based on emergencies that need to be resolved quickly. For example, the source of the problem may not be identified yet or there could be several different priorities to manage in finding a solution to an identified problem. Either way, these meetings give colleagues the chance to brainstorm, evaluate solutions and solve the problem at hand.
4. Team-Building Meetings
Although every meeting is a chance for a team to become a little closer by engaging in banter at the beginning and gaining a stronger understanding of their counterparts, sometimes it is necessary to have a planned team-building meeting.
These meetings can be corporate events or outings for the team, department or entire company and can serve to generate some employee loyalty and engagement. They are the perfect opportunity to encourage employees to mingle and create more personal relationships that can aid the progress and growth of the organization.
5. Idea-Sharing Meetings
Sometimes it’s better to have the whole group get together and share new ideas rather than distributing them in a meaty email or chaotic chat thread.
Not only do these meetings allow the speaker or presenter to go more in-depth on a topic, conversations can happen in real time and team members can ask questions. These meetings also make idea sharing interactive, giving colleagues the chance to bounce ideas off of one another, ultimately resulting in more teamwork, stronger relationship building and an engaging meeting experience. While this type of meeting can take up a great deal of time, it often results in new product ideas, expansion to new markets and ways to get ahead of the competition.
6. Innovation Meetings
Every organization needs new ideas from time to time, and innovation meetings are the standard answer to that need. It is difficult to force creativity, but you can solicit as many ideas as possible and then filter through them to find the most suitable ones.
Innovation meetings can sound obscure to attendees, but they are essential to making sure your company continues to move forward rather than retaining the same operating protocols year after year because they provide the organization a chance to try something new.
While it might feel unnecessary or obvious, defining the type of meeting you are having can guide the way your colleagues prepare for your meeting, help you establish a clear agenda and save everyone time. Here are a few tips on how to illuminate exactly what to do to turn your meetings into solid time investments.
3 Tips for Making the Best Use of your Meeting Time
With most managers agreeing that meetings tend to be an unproductive use of time and 65% of them saying that meetings prevent them from completing their own work, there needs to be a better way to meet more effectively. Here are three easy ways to get the most out of every meeting.
1. Set Clear Goals
Having a clear meeting agendawill help you minimize the amount of time the meeting takes. If you have tasks that attendees need to do beforehand, send out a checklist in your meeting invite to make sure everyone attending is aware and prepared. The basic goal here is to do everything in your power ahead of time to prevent an entire team’s time from being wasted.
The ideal meeting has no surprises and follows the agenda to a T. This could be a challenge since side conversations and tangents are pretty common in the conference room, so it’s important to keep those off-topic conversations short — you can always book another time to discuss further.
2. Run Through a Post-Meeting Recap
If you have a clear desired outcome, it is instantly clear when a meeting is a success. Afterward, managers can assess whether it achieved the desired outcome and figure out what would have made it more successful.
Sending out a quick recap of the meeting will boost the retention of information as well as clear up any miscommunications that might have occurred. You can also include any further action that your colleagues might need to take to reiterate the outcome of your meeting. Learn how to take effective meeting minutesto ensure you don’t miss any important details or takeaways from your meetings.
3. Use Dependable Video Conferencing Software
Productive business meetings don’t always have to be held in person — with the right video conferencing solution, you can still meet face to face and have a quality meeting experience without leaving your office space. If your video conferencing tool is intuitive enough, you’ll be able to share your screen, record your call and scale your meeting to guest callers across different devices seamlessly.
Completely dedicated to delivering the best video conferencing experience possible, Lifesize is the 4K quality and easy-to-use video conferencing solution you and your IT admin have been looking for. After more than fifteen years of developing conference room systems, wireless meeting room presentation devices, mobile apps and a global cloud network that ties it all together, Lifesize delivers an unmatched unified meeting experience that you can trust.
Keep All Meeting Types Efficient and Profitable
Meetings aren’t going away any time soon, but they don’t have to be so terrible! Just by defining what type of meeting you’d like to have and implementing these tips, you can keep your meetings productive and upbeat. Make the most of your meetings with Lifesize and experience what a great business meeting should be like.
FAQs
What is the most common type of meeting? ›
- 6 most common meeting types. ...
- Status update meetings. ...
- Decision-making meetings. ...
- Problem-solving meetings. ...
- Team-building meetings. ...
- Info-sharing meetings. ...
- Innovation meetings. ...
- The takeaway.
The meetings of the shareholders can be further classified into four kinds namely, Statutory Meeting, Annual General Meeting, Extraordinary General Meeting, and.
What are the 6 types of teams? ›- Functional teams. Functional teams include members of the same department. ...
- Cross-functional teams. ...
- Self-managed teams. ...
- Troubleshooting teams. ...
- Project team. ...
- Task-force teams.
A business meeting is a gathering of professionals who come together to discuss operations, address changes or celebrate the success of an organization. Some groups who might meet together include company executives and employees, company representatives and clients or department leaders and their teams.
What are the 4 types of meetings? ›There are communication meetings, monitoring progress meetings, team meetings, and problem-solving meetings.
What are types of meetings? ›Content 1) Kick-Off meetings2) Brainstorming Meetings3) Problem-Solving Meetings4) Decision-Making Meetings5) Quarterly Planning Meetings6) Information Meetings7) Status Update Meetings8) Check-In Meetings9) One On One Meetings10) Team Building MeetingsWhat Makes a Productive MeetingFinal Thoughts. Share to.
What are the 3 types of meeting? ›- Information. This is a meeting where attendees are informed about what is happening (with or without their blessing). ...
- Discussion. This is a meeting where the leader actually wants feedback or direction or connections. ...
- Permission.
- Clarify Aim/Purpose.
- Assign Roles.
- Review Agenda.
- Work through Agenda.
- Review meeting record.
- Plan Next Steps and Next Agenda.
- Evaluate.
Effective meetings have high participation, good energy, constructive collaboration, and meaningful conversations. In short, effective meetings are those which tap into the wisdom, expertise, and energy of the group. Effective meetings are interactive and valuable to both the meeting leader and the meeting attendees.
What are the main types of meeting setups? ›- Auditorium Style. Appropriate for a short lecture or larger groups that do not require extensive note-taking.
- Banquet Style. Used for meals and small group discussions. ...
- Hollow Square Style. ...
- Classroom. ...
- U-Shape Style.
How many types of general meeting are there? ›
There are two kinds of General Meetings:
(ii) Other General Meetings. The statutory provisions regarding the Annual General Meeting are: (a) Section 166: The first Annual General Meeting of a company may be held within a period of not more than 18 months from the date of its incorporation.
- They have clear goals and plans. ...
- They have strong leadership. ...
- Members fulfill their own tasks and also help one another. ...
- Members communicate openly with the team. ...
- Members resolve conflict constructively. ...
- Members feel they directly contribute to the company's success.
- Communication. For several years during college, I worked as a waitress. ...
- Trust. Trust is one of the most essential elements of team building. ...
- Leadership. ...
- Diversity. ...
- Empathy. ...
- Delegation.
These stages are commonly known as: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning. Tuckman's model explains that as the team develops maturity and ability, relationships establish, and leadership style changes to more collaborative or shared leadership.
Why is a business meeting important? ›Business meetings are crucial aspects of an organization. It helps you keep a tab on the organization's processes and activities to reach its goals and objectives. It allows you to stay updated, discuss ideas, solve problems, make collective decisions, and also helps in team building.
What are 5 basics of business etiquette? ›- Be on time. Whether you're attending an interview or daily standup meeting, being on time in a work environment shows that you respect everyone's schedule. ...
- Recognize your team. ...
- Dress appropriately. ...
- Respect shared spaces. ...
- Build emotional intelligence.
- Board meetings.
- Team or departmental meetings.
- Quarterly reviews.
- Committee meetings.
- Governmental debates.
In EOS we call this the 5-5-5. Once per quarter, starting with the leadership team, everyone who manages people schedules a quarterly one-on-one conversation with his/her direct reports. It's best to do this offsite over coffee, breakfast, or lunch—and more importantly, to be free of distractions from the office.
What are the six reasons that meetings are held? ›- Sharing important company information. ...
- Making key decisions. ...
- Providing updates on a project's status. ...
- Brainstorming new ideas. ...
- Solving organizational challenges. ...
- Asking for feedback.
By applying the three P's—purpose, people, and process—you can get back some of that most precious of resources: your time. If you would like to talk more about how effective facilitation can help your team become more productive, give me a call.
What are the five types of meetings and their purpose? ›
Essentially, there are five types of meetings:
Informational – people exchange information. Problem-solving – people try to solve a specific problem. Brain-storming – people define objectives and generate ideas. Performance review – people review individual and group performance.
A business meeting is a gathering of two or more people for the purpose of making decisions or discussing company objectives and operations. Business meetings are generally conducted in person in an office, however with the rise of video conferencing technologies, participants can join a business meeting from anywhere.
What meetings should a company have? ›- Yearly And Quarterly Retreats. ...
- Quarterly Board Of Advisors Meetings. ...
- Monthly Financial Meetings. ...
- Weekly “WAR” Meetings. ...
- Weekly Strategy Meetings. ...
- Weekly One-On-One Meetings.
- Regular team meetings.
- Stakeholder meetings.
- Change control meetings.
- Status review meetings.
- Project review meetings.
- Develop new ideas. ...
- Plan for workplace changes. ...
- Solve problems collectively. ...
- Make collective decisions. ...
- Encourage enthusiasm and improved performance. ...
- Share information with the team. ...
- Measure results. ...
- Discuss the status of activities.
- State views and ask genuine questions. ...
- Share all relevant information. ...
- Use specific examples and agree on what important words mean. ...
- Explain reasoning and intent. ...
- Focus on interests, not positions. ...
- Test assumptions and inferences. ...
- Jointly design next steps. ...
- Discuss undiscussable issues.
Inform absent team members of the discussion and decisions made. Serve as a record of discussions for future reference. Provide “takeaways” for meetings that are informational. Supply reminders of action steps.
What are the 6 things at least we need to think about when preparing a meeting? ›- Meetings shall have a meeting leader. ...
- All meetings should have a stated purpose. ...
- Meetings should be shorter, instead of longer. ...
- Meetings shall have an agenda. ...
- Participants shall come prepared to the meeting.
- Agenda Header. The agenda header is used to identify the following items: ...
- Key Objective. ...
- Input. ...
- The Meeting Work Plan. ...
- Allocate Time. ...
- Follow Up.
- Decide if you really need the meeting. Before setting up a meeting, ask yourself if it's really needed. ...
- Plan and structure meetings. ...
- Choose your audience wisely. ...
- Organize the information. ...
- Start on time. ...
- Have engaging meetings. ...
- Keep meetings on track. ...
- Finish on time.
Which factor makes a meeting successful? ›
Agenda is the key to success of the meeting. If the agenda is complicated, detailed and comprehensive, it will lose the interest of the participant which leads to complicate the issues. Clear and detailed participants list shall include CORRECT names, Designation, Company, Signatures of the participants.
What is the most important part of the meeting? ›The purpose of meeting agenda can often be the most important part of a simple meeting agenda, as it clearly defines what is expected of the attendees and what meeting goals are intended to be accomplished by the meaning and importance of meeting on a given day.
What is called meeting? ›A meeting is when two or more people come together to discuss one or more topics, often in a formal or business setting, but meetings also occur in a variety of other environments. Meetings can be used as form of group decision making.
How many meetings should a company have? ›From the above decided case, one can come to an conclusion, even though the a minimum number of 4 meetings of the company is conducted every year, it is mandatory that the meetings are to be conducted in such a manner that not more than 120 days shall intervene between two consecutive meetings of the board as required ...
What are the six steps of planning a meeting? ›...
Here are 6 steps to effective meeting planning:
- Why? Determine the purpose of the meeting.
- What? Specify the end result of the meeting. ...
- Who? Determine who needs to be there.
- What? Specify what information needs to be presented.
- When/Where? ...
- Who/How?
Meetings can be of various types based on formality, purpose, use, legality, participation, and more. Types of meetings are; formal meetings, annual general meetings (AGM), statutory meetings, board meetings, and informal meetings.
What are meetings and its types? ›Essentially, there are five types of meetings:
Informational – people exchange information. Problem-solving – people try to solve a specific problem. Brain-storming – people define objectives and generate ideas. Performance review – people review individual and group performance.
- Clarify Aim/Purpose.
- Assign Roles.
- Review Agenda.
- Work through Agenda.
- Review meeting record.
- Plan Next Steps and Next Agenda.
- Evaluate.
Meetings provide a valuable forum for a range of different functions, helping people to share ideas, make decisions, build team relationships, and even feel less lonely at work.
How do you give a good boss quarterly conversation? ›...
In detail:
- What's working? Ask about what's going well. ...
- What's not working? What could be better? ...
- Feedback. How are you doing as a manager? ...
- Next steps?
What are the 6 steps in the strategic planning process? ›
- Confirm (or create) your mission and vision statements. Mission and vision statements provide important context for your future plans. ...
- Choose a framework. ...
- Identify your priorities. ...
- Develop measures and initiatives. ...
- Build a rollout plan. ...
- Review and make changes.