6 Tips for Cutting Down on Boring Staff Meetings

Staff meetings can be time-consuming and difficult to implement. Making them short and snappy, while including all of the necessary content, is important for how useful, informative, and efficient they are. Every minute of the workday is valuable, and it can be difficult to find a time frame to carry out a meeting that suits all, so spending time to discover what you can accomplish in a short amount of time is crucial as an employer. Staff meetings can be boring, pointless, and waste valuable time, but they do offer some benefits when done correctly. They are a necessary part of strengthening relationships and sharing important news, but they don’t have to be boring and can be cut down. For some inspiration, here are 6 tips for cutting down on boring staff meetings. 

State a Purpose 

Holding a meeting that does not have a purpose is a waste of everyone’s time and resources. You should make an effort to ensure that every meeting is relevant to the workers who are participating and offers constructive information. Some meetings can be held anywhere at any time. For example, if you need to boost workplace safety in a casual way, try to leverage toolbox talks to keep safety in mind. 

Avoid Repetitive Meetings 

Repetitive meetings are boring and pointless. If you are constantly updating your employees with the same information, then you will be wasting your time. Especially if it can be communicated in a different way. In order to suit the latest developments, you should look into changing the agenda and varying the topics. Variety in your meetings will hold people’s attention and make them worthwhile. 

Set a Time 

Setting a time for your work meeting and planning ahead will make it easier to fit all of the information you need to share into a time frame. This will reduce the amount of time you waste due to irrelevant chit chat and conversations because you will have a deadline to meet. A quick, snappy, and informative meeting will be more engaging and less boring than a long, dragged out, and irrelevant meeting. 

Make them Positive 

It is common for employers to carry out a staff meeting to share both good and bad news. One of the most effective ways to make a meeting less boring is to keep it as positive as possible. Your employees must be aware of the major challenges the company faces and areas that need improving, but you should try to share news lightly, debunk rumors and get feedback, rather than scare people. 

Use Office Technology 

With all of the technology available to us, there are many alternative methods to share information than meetings. You could use collaborative websites like Office 365 and G Suite, project management sites like Rally and Trello, and instant messaging and email for fast communication. These are all effective and allow you to spread important information to staff without a time-consuming meeting. 

Just Say No 

This may sound bizarre, but one of the easiest ways to avoid boring and irrelevant meetings is to just say no. Where possible, it is okay to decline a meeting, as long as you have a reasonable explanation for doing so. You shouldn’t make the confrontation rude or create a problem, you should just clarify your reasons behind your refusal in a polite manner. This could be taken as constructive feedback. 

Following these tips can help employers cut down on boring staff meetings while providing employees with the important information that they can gain from them. It can be difficult to find something that suits everyone, but with the right planning and research, it is achievable.