This document provides 5 tips for improving the productivity of meetings: 1. Plan for success by clarifying the purpose and assessing whether a meeting is the best approach. 2. Clarify which attendees are essential and what roles people will play. 3. Manage the meeting time tightly with agendas, timers and pre-set durations for topics. 4. Set rules for discussion, note-taking, and following up on actions. 5. Focus on being productive by ensuring meetings result in defined outputs and actions, not just information sharing.

1. 5 Tips for Improving the
Productivity of your Meetings
Russell Cummings
May 2014

2. WHY BOTHER?
• The average CEO spends about 17 hours per
week in meetings.
• Senior executives spend an average of 23 hours a
week in meetings.
• Middle managers spend 11 hours in meetings per
week.
• Senior and middle managers said only 56% of
meetings were productive. They added that a
phone call or a memo could have replaced 25%
of the meetings they attend.

3. What can we do to
reduce the number of
meetings and increase
the outputs from each
meeting?

4. Top Tips
1. Plan for success
2. Clarify attendees and roles
3. Manage the time
4. Set rules and processes
5. Be productive

5. Use the PROD tool to plan (or review)
your series of meetings
• PURPOSE – Why bother? Is there a better way?
• RULES – Who? When? Where? What?
• OUTPUTS – What will we deliver?
• DEPLOYMENT – How will it happen? Agenda?
PPP – at the start of every meeting
• Purpose, Process, Payoff
PLAN FOR SUCCESS

6. • At $50K per annum = $30 per hour cost
• Look at the PROD (or PPP) – ask the
question, “If the purpose of our meeting
is <X>, who should be here and why?
Who is here as an observer? Why?”
• Use 5 Why’s – can we give the same
results using another method?
CLARIFY ATTENDEES & ROLES

7. • CHAIR – Agenda and Process – Take Charge
• TIMEKEEPER – focused on the time
• FACILITATOR – to workshop problem solving
and processes
• SCRIBE – to record Key Actions and notes.
Legible handwriting.
• EVALUATOR – evaluate the meeting against a
Decision Matrix – take corrective actions
KEY ROLES

8. • Keep meetings short – aim to reduce the time spent by 50%
• Better to have short, frequent meetings with the right people in each meeting
• Start and finish on-time
• Start at an odd time e.g. 8:07 AM
• Make sure you keep track of the time
• Allocate time for each Agenda item. Agree this in advance.
• Use a Countdown Timer for each Agenda item
• Use an alarm for the entire meeting time
MANAGE THE TIME

9. COUNTDOWN TIMER

10. • Set the Meeting Agenda – PPP at start of
every meeting – agree timings
• Finish meeting with a Recap of Actions
• Use templates for recording actions and
notes
• Have rules for managing the discussion
• If less than 3 Departments / members involved in
discussion – take it offline
• Discussion goes longer than time – extend or
reconvene?
SET RULES & PROCESSES

11. • Focus on producing outcomes (as defined)
• Ensure that there are actions at the end of
every meeting. Recap actions at next
meeting to ensure group is making
progress.
• If meeting is just for communication of
information – is there a better way?
• Use a Whiteboard and/or Flip Chart to
record notes and actions
• Use photos of WB to circulate actions
• Post relevant information on intranet or use
Dropbox
BE PRODUCTIVE

12. • Plan your meetings and aim to be more
productive – PROD, PPP, Agendas
• Make sure you have the right people involved
• Manage the time – take charge
• Set the rules of engagement
• Be productive – focus on actions and outputs
• Use technology to enhance communication
TOP TIPS

13. • Whiteboard Capture Pro App – capturing
notes
• Clock App – on smartphones
• Storage – intranet, Dropbox, Basecamp,
Evernote, CRM, Google Drive
Books:
• “Death by Meeting” by Patrick Lencioni
• “Read this before our next meeting” by Al
Pittampalli
RESOURCES

14. Russell Cummings
Business Consultant
M: +61 414 929 585
W: www.sbdbusiness.com.au
E: russell@sbdbusiness.com.au
Thank You