Making meetings effective and efficient: 20 things to try

Making meetings effective and efficient: 20 things to try
If you always manage meetings like you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got- or could your meetings be more effective. Here are one team’s brainstorms of 50 ideas for improving the effectiveness of the meetings in their company.
1. One agenda item meeting
2. 5 minute meetings
3. State actual purpose of each agenda item (e.g. to choose between ….)
4. The most interested person in item to chair for that item (or the least…..)
5. Offside rule – no whingeing (Its no use because they won’t let us do  it ….)
6. Use a cost indicator clock (This meeting will cost the company  £X per minute)
7. Insist every con is accompanied by a pro
8. Give each member a token for airtime – eg. 5 minutes, 3 minutes – Shut up when used
9. Use clockwork teeth when someone is confabulating. (This really works !)
10. Have someone draw an interaction diagram of the meeting.
11. Use brainstorming to get a range of possible actions/answers to a problem
12. Set a time limit for the total meeting and keep to it
13. Let people attend only for agenda item that concern them
14. Appoint an official Devil’s Advocate
15. At the start of the meeting give members of the group roles to play eg. Summariser, encourager, timekeeper, alternative options,
16. Bring in someone from outside the group to offer possible answers to issues blocking the working group
17. Have a single sentence rule for large meetings/large agendas
18. If there is “always” a meeting try not having one so regularly. Wait until issues need one.
19. Have a 5 minute whinge session at the end
20. Crying “Foul” when people make personal put-downs or sniping remarks.