Six Things Small Businesses Are Doing Wrong When It Comes To Meetings

Meetings are a necessity for small businesses. They give the business a chance to brainstorm, disseminate information and introduce new policies or procedures. Unfortunately, it is easy to do things incorrectly when planning and running a meeting. Here are six things small businesses are doing wrong when it comes to meetings.

No Unified Message or Agenda

A major mistake small business make is to hold a meeting that does not have a unified message or agenda. This can leave everyone in the meeting confused and disjointed because the speakers are touching on too many random topics. Each meeting should have a clear and unified agenda to keep things focused.

Picking the Wrong Time

Everyone attending a meeting in a small business has something else work-related to do. A big mistake is scheduling the meeting for the wrong time of day. Employees will become frustrated and even resentful if forced to stop doing something important to attend a meeting. Schedule meetings for times when the business is not busy.

Getting Sidetracked or Distracted

Do not make the mistake of getting sidetracked or distracted. This can happen when employees bring up non-sequitur points or try to talk about tangential issues during the meeting. Remain focused and shut down any distractions that come up.

Picking the Wrong Location

Meeting in a bad or cramped location can make everyone uneasy, irritable and less willing to listen. You want to pick a good, offsite location like Noah’s Event Venues for your important meetings. Choose a location that is attractive, spacious and comfortable. The location should also have all the amenities that your employees need.

Not Including the Audience

Small businesses often make the mistake of having meetings where a single person just talks at the audience for some length of time. You want to include the audience whenever possible. Have question and answer sessions or plan activities that encourage audience participation. This will keep every engaged and alert.

Taking Too Long

A final mistake small businesses make is to plan meetings that are too long. You want to keep meeting lengths to a minimum. Do not constantly schedule meetings that are hours long. If you must have a meeting that lasts for half the day, then schedule breaks and bring in some catering.

The last thing that you want is for employees to dread going to meetings or to come away from meetings without a full understanding of what was said. This means small businesses need to really think about how meetings are held and structured. Avoiding these six mistakes can go a long way towards having successful and productive meetings every time.