Meeting Management Guide by Mombit

1. Status Update Meeting
   These are well-know and usually recurring team meetings intended to share updates on the latest company projects. The goal of a status update meeting is to make sure everyone on the team is one the same page and understands their individual responsibilities and tasks, as well as everyone else’s.
   These types of meetings are usually quick and either take the form of a stand-up meeting or a morning huddle meeting. They are meant to clear any misunderstandings or miscommunication that can end up costing the company significant amounts of wasted time. A status update meeting might not be the most engaging or fun but it’s necessary to have them in order to address issues, assign tasks and make any decisions necessary to progress with the project effectively.
   Since they can turn into quick sync-ups, they are less likely to take a lot of time and instead are more straightforward, simple and quick. Everyone tells what they did the previous day, what they are working on now and whether they are experiencing issues that prevent them from completing the task.

2. Decision-Making Meeting
   Managers and team leaders are the people in charge of the project and that grants them the ability to have the final say. Still, important business decisions are discussed in larger groups so that everyone can share their thoughts and opinions and contribute to the decision-making process.
   The decision-making process, especially when it comes to the future of an entire organization, is lengthy and involves a lot of stakeholders. That’s why these types of meetings might spread out over several different meetings. This way, all parties are given the chance to gather information, prepare with a solution and vote on the best way to move forward. If you’re running or attending a decision making session, prepare yourself as there will be a lot of communicating back and forth and you will be tied up in not just one but probably several meetings.

3. Problem-Solving Meetings
   Just like decision-making meetings, problem-solving sessions are held with a specific goal in mind. Since every organization, business and team is different, there is no standard way of handling problem-solving meetings. They are, however, very crucial for the success of any project.
   In case of a business emergency, PR crisis or any type of conflict or issue that might arise in a company, managers usually schedule a problem-solving meeting to deal with the issue as quickly as possible. These meetings provide a stage for team members to engage in a fruitful brainstorming session and collectively solve the problem at hand. They create a sense of togetherness and improve collaboration.

4. Team-Building Meetings
   Every meeting presents an opportunity for a team to get to know each other better and become a little closer by engaging in meaningful discussions and solving problems collectively. Sometimes, however, it’s necessary to put all work-related activities aside and plan a team-building meeting.
   These types of meetings have proven to be crucial for improving employee communication, collaboration and motivation. Not just that but they can boost the productivity and efficiency of team members, as well as serve as an energy, confidence and creativity boost.
   Team-building meetings take the form of outings, events, seminars, etc. With working from home becoming the new norm, however, managers are also coming up with unique ways to have virtual team-building activities that can still build strong working relationships while everyone is at home.

5. Idea-Sharing Meetings
   When there are things to be said and ideas to be shared, sometimes lengthy emails or chaotic chat threads are not the best way to go for. That’s when an idea-sharing meeting can be scheduled. This way, the whole group gets together and everyone can ask questions and engage in a fruitful brainstorming session.
   These meetings are very interactive and allow everyone to go more in-depth on a topic in real time. The results are better teamwork, stronger relationships and an engaging, quite pleasant meeting experience.
   Remember that these types of meetings usually take a lot of time and resources. However, they can often result in new product ideas or innovative new ways of doing things which is a great factor for getting ahead of the competition.

6. Innovation Meeting
   Innovation meetings are about presenting fresh ideas for products or innovative new ways to conduct day-to-day operations. Every business needs new ideas, of course, and innovation meetings are the answer to that need. You can’t force creativity or make someone come up with a groundbreaking idea for a product on the spot. However, you can schedule a meeting in advance and have a room full of people ready to bounce ideas off and come up with the next best thing.
   Innovation meetings can become the reason why your business is progressing and achieving new milestones.

Nobody likes or has time for pointless meetings. We’ve all been there, though. You know the type — lengthy business meetings with no direction, involving tons of people who are just daydreaming and…

Why is Meeting Management Important?

Simply put, meeting management is important because without knowing how to prepare, organize, run and get the most out of it, a meeting will be unproductive and a total waste of time (and we all know that time is money.) Meetings are a means for communication and collaboration. Through meetings teams get up to date with what’s going on in an organization, get personal assignments, participate in a decision-making process and get a sense of belonging.

If meetings are so important then the ability to manage them effectively is just as important. The more organized a meeting is, the lesser time will be wasted. The better a meeting is run, the higher productivity and revenues for the organization.

Whether you are the meeting leader or one of the attendees, having good meeting management skills means contributing to the meeting and its effectiveness. If everyone involved in a business meeting contributes with good communication, superb time-management skills, ability to follow an established agenda and understanding of how precious time is for everyone, meetings can become the ultimate source of employee morale, satisfaction and teamwork.

What are the Characteristics of a Good Meeting?

For a meeting to be successful, it should include the following:

• A meeting agenda, prepared ahead of time and distributed to the attendees before the meeting.
• A designated note-taker to record attendees, key decisions, meeting minutes, action items, etc.
• Starting and ending time.
• Time-bound agenda items / topics.
• No device-policy.
• Positive attitude by the meeting leader and attendees.
• Good preparation by the meeting leader and attendees.
• Attendees should be attentive, involved and respect each other’s time and opinion.
• The meeting leader takes into consideration diverse points of views to reach a final decision.
• The meeting leader limits discussion only to agenda items and closely monitors the allotted time for each agenda topic. If an issue, not included in the agenda, rises, the meeting leader sets up a follow-up meeting.
• A meeting follow-up email is sent to all attendees and stakeholders, as well as team members who were not able to attend but are involved in the project. The email usually features the meeting minutes, as well as any other additional files or information.