Leadership

Three Simple Rules for Productive Meetings

By Sean Silverthorne

Updated on: October 23, 2009 / 11:46 AM EDT / MoneyWatch

There are only three objectives that need to be accomplished in most meetings. Communicate. Discuss. Decide.

So why are many meetings so inefficient? So long? So arduous?

They don't have to be, if you stick to the magic three goals, says Tony Tjan, CEO and Managing Partner and Founder of VC firm Cue Ball. The goals are:

Inform and bring people up to speed.
Seek input from people.
Ask for approval.

"Use this as a filter to determine why you are having a meeting and explain that purpose to your audience. Your meetings may often cut across multiple objectives but forcing yourself to clarify the agenda into these three purposes can result in more effective meetings."

This is great, usable advice for structuring most meetings, I believe.

Read his full post, The Key to Shorter, Better Meetings.

How do you organize your business meetings? What's the best meeting you've ever been to, or the worst?