Different types of meetings (and how to get them right)

You are, in fact, attending more meetings than you did previously. The amount of meetings we attend at work has increased in a mid-Covid environment. It's essential to know the various meeting types we attend, whether we work from home or in the office.

No matter where we work, meetings are a means for us to work together, share knowledge, and come up with solutions as a team. They provide an opportunity to produce fresh, original ideas by using brainstorming techniques.

The issue is that many meetings held in modern times are ineffective. According to Doodle’s State of Meetings report, professionals waste two hours every week in meaningless meetings.

How can meetings feel more productive and less like a waste of time?

‍Let's start by learning about the various meeting kinds and how to ensure that they benefit both you and your team.

Decision-making meetings 

A team leader facilitates a collaborative effort known as a decision-making meeting.

According to McKinsey, it normally has 6 to 8 participants and a detailed agenda outlining the decisions that must be made.

Key decision-makers or subject-matter experts are the participants. For instance, only specific personnel, such as hiring managers, will be involved in choosing a new hire.

Participants need to be aware of the decision-making process in advance for a meeting to be effective, according to a Harvard Business Review article.

For instance, the main decision-maker will make the final choice if the team is unable to reach an agreement within 60 minutes and will instead submit the matter to a vote. It saves time to know in advance how the decision will be made.

Information collecting is a crucial component of decision-making sessions. You'll want to confirm that you have all the data required to decide what is best.

Problem-solving meetings 

Finding the best answer to a problem the organization is facing is the major objective of a problem-solving meeting.

Additionally, two brains (or several in this situation) are better than one when determining the best course of action.

Effective problem-solving sessions require members to come together and generate as many potential solutions as they can, according to a Harvard Business Review study.

Once that goal is accomplished, participants must choose who will put the best option into practice. This responsibility might be given to a single person or a group of team members.

Finally, locating the problem's root cause is necessary for a successful problem-solving session. Knowing what caused the issue in the first place will help you avoid it in the future.

Team-building meetings 

Meetings for team development are intended to improve cohesion, trust, and teamwork. Employee happiness and productivity rise as a result of improving how people collaborate.

Through the use of games or team challenges, a team-building meeting seeks to foster a fun and engaging environment. For organizers or leaders, this is a great chance to get involved and build closer relationships with their teams.

Virtual team-building meetings are becoming more crucial as more people work from home. They are a means to interact and build relationships with employees who work from home and who might otherwise feel cut off from their colleagues and organization. Engaging with remote workers helps keep the workplace culture and morale positive.

Brainstorming meetings 

Meetings for innovation are brainstorming sessions. Participants work together to develop fresh, unique ideas.

Team members participate in these sessions as equal co-contributors or with the help of a facilitator. These loosely structured brainstorming sessions encourage teams to "think big" and express their creativity. Employees use a range of brainstorming strategies, including mind mapping, to develop original concepts or novel products.

Meetings where ideas are generated work best with diverse teams. Diverse opinions help to improve ideas, discover potential blind spots, and develop more creative solutions.

One-on-one meetings 

A one-on-one meeting takes place between two individuals. It is set aside for a certain objective.

A meeting between a sales representative and their client, for instance, or a performance review between a manager and employee are two examples.

While an agenda is not required during a one-on-one, it is common to keep track of the topics that each person needs to discuss. The meeting is otherwise loosely organized and flows like a typical conversation.

Since the pandemic, one-on-one check-ins have grown by 18%, according to Microsoft Workplace Insights. Regular touchpoints help remote workers feel connected and have fun.

Quarterly planning meetings 

Teams get together every three months to implement a company's short- and long-term aims strategically.

Attendance is restricted to those who will carry out the plan, much like in problem-solving and decision-making meetings. Each participant must contribute and make a commitment to carrying out the strategy.

Although the meeting's format can change, the team leader often takes charge and assigns duties to each participant.

A great approach to keep team members motivated and track the development of a team is to hold quarterly planning sessions. A good time to discuss what needs to be done in the upcoming quarter and to think back on the previous one is during these meetings.

Check-in meetings 

One of the most typical types of meetings is the check-in meeting. These progress-check meetings are often held by organizations for a number of reasons:

• Share project updates and progress 

• Make sure everyone is doing their different jobs

• Discuss any difficulties, achievements, or ideas with the staff to determine the next steps.

Employees, for instance, inform their managers and team on their weekly progress during a weekly team cadence meeting. Check-in meetings are becoming more crucial as more employees operate remotely and without direct manager supervision. Regular check-ins ensure that remote workers are informed and that their objectives are in line with those of the team.

Which types of meetings can you improve within your organization?

Leaders are tasked with organizing a wide variety of meetings.

Each meeting, whether it be a more formal meeting or a weekly team huddle, adds something special to the success of the team and the business. The secret to reducing time-consuming, meaningless meetings is to understand the significance of each one and how to conduct it effectively.