When is the best time, how to meet, and what most frustrates professionals about meetings was the subject of a major research project by Doodle, the online scheduling company (Read it here), who surveyed over 6,500 professionals involved in over 19 million meetings. The report makes fascinating reading, and should be mandatory for all people responsible for organizing meetings.
Some key highlights include:
- When:
- 70% of professionals prefer meetings between 8am and 12pm, with another 12% preferring them before 2pm.
- How:
- 76% of professionals prefer face-to-face meetings.
- Of the other formats:
- 7% prefer conference calls
- 5% prefer video calls,
- 97% of professionals feel that meeting in person was an effective way of building relationships at work
- Frustrations:
- Poorly organized meetings top the list, with professionals spending an average of three hours per week in meetings, two of which they consider unproductive! This creates confusion in the workplace and impacts their ability to actually do their work.
- Bad meetings that involve people:
- Taking phone calls during meetings
- Interrupting each other
- Not listening to the contributions of others
- Arrive late or leaving early
- Talking about nothing for long periods of time
The good news is that there are some characteristics identified of good meetings also, which included:
- Setting clear objectives
- Setting a clear agenda
- Not having too many people in the room
Any organisation that can transform their meetings into effective processes will be a step ahead of their competitors. How does your organisation shape up? Maybe the Avondale Business School can help your organisation transition to more effective meeting practices. To find out how, contact Dr Warrick Long [email protected] or 02 4980 2168.