Unproductive meetings reportedly cost U.S. businesses $37 billion a year. Fortunately, your next meeting doesn’t have to be unproductive. In fact, if you follow four simple rules – with the right collaboration software – attendees will leave your meeting knowing they’ve accomplished something.

• Plan ahead with agenda-planning tools – Off-the-cuff meetings are never a good idea. A little bit of prep work goes a long way. Ask yourself what you need to accomplish and create an agenda tailored to this goal. Add it to your invite. Be sure to set time limits for each item. Stick to your plan during the meeting by using a collaboration tool with a built-in agenda capability, like MiCloud Connect.
• Determine who needs to be in the meeting – Often, meetings aren’t productive because there are too many people involved. Choose attendees who are essential to the decision-making process or who have a key role on this particular piece of the project. Use a collaboration tool with calendar integration and presence to ensure you’re scheduling the meeting at a convenient time for everyone.
• Take advantage of virtual workspaces – Another challenge with meetings is that people find it too easy to get distracted. The trick is to engage attendees throughout the meeting. Collaborate in real-time on documents with screen sharing. See each other eye-to-eye using video conferencing. With MiCloud Connect, it’s easy to move seamlessly between desktop sharing and video. Any attendee can share a document or start a video conference with a single tap.
• Don’t leave ‘em hanging – Conclude your meeting with five minutes of “wrap up.” Agree on next steps and who is responsible for each one. Ensure nothing gets missed or forgotten by assigning follow-up tasks in your collaboration tool. Mitel Teamwork has the option to build tasks right into the workspace.

With a little planning and access to the right tools, you’ll know your next meeting has the potential to be time well spent.

Need help implementing productive meetings in your business? Contact CTS today: 800.787.4848 or jnolte@ctsmd.us.