How To: Handle Meetings Efficiently

I really hate long meetings, it usually eats up a lot of my time, there are times of course that you need to do long meetings, but more often than not, the reason why it tends to be so long is that the people organizing the said meeting is not prepared.  Majority of the companies now prefer online teleconferencing instead of actually flying in, allowing a lot of savings for the said company. Here are some tips that I hope can

1. Find the Right Tools for Collaboration - There are a lot of tools now that one can use for collaboration and file sharing.  Look for one that everyone can join in.  Here are some possible tools you can use:

• Almost Meet – A tool that allows you to do group meetings, almost as if you are meeting in person.
• Google Wave - Maybe tricky,  but we have been using it for quiet some time and has been effective
• 6Rounds – Live Meeting point (although can be used as another means of communicating and having fun with friends).
• Ubidesk - provides a nified workspace for file sharing, document collaboration and project management.
• MeetSee - Your virtual office

2.  Be Prepared – Write an agenda, make sure that you have it written down so that you have some sort of structure while meeting and won’t forget the important details.

3.  Send out Presentation or materials ahead of time – If you have materials prepared, try to send them ahead of time via email.  Gives the people you meet with time to read them ahead and give points and feed backs when you meet. This step would really save a lot of time.

4.  Give a Time Frame for your meetings – Yes if you are prepared with an agenda, you can give a time frame for your meetings, you can of course determine the length depending on the work that you need to discuss.

5.  Be on Time - If you guys agreed on a certain date and time, be there at least 5 minutes ahead, this allows you to get settled in and ready for the meeting.  Punctuality is really important when talking about efficiency.

Most probably most of you are already practicing the above tips, this article is just a reminder and hopefully useful.  Included a video on how a magazine hold their online meeting.

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