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In my last corporate job, I spent an inordinate amount of time in meetings.  I literally had to play defense on my Outlook calendar in order to try to ward off people scheduling me for more meetings.  I would go into my calendar and block time for me to do my actual work in hopes that would deter meeting schedulers! Meetings are such time-suckers at work!

Attending meetings isn’t all bad but, when the meetings are not productive, it is a time-sucker.  I felt that most of the time the person holding the meeting was just doing so to make the team feel like they were involved in the decisions that were being made.  The managers didn’t seem to actually be interested in the team input.  Therefore, the meeting was a waste of our time.

Quill has come up with some wonderful ways to improve the quality of your business meetings.  I particularly like their points on having a meeting agenda and specific follow-up steps from the meeting.  Which tip will you take to work?

From Quill:

Meetings are a necessary evil. While they can and do accomplish plenty, meetings aren’t always productive. And they’re costly too: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that unnecessary meetings cost $37 billion every year. But by defining the type of meeting you’re having, establishing ground rules, and inviting only who you need to, meetings can accomplish what they’re intended to. Don’t assume all is said and done when the team leaves the conference room either. Following up and analyzing results will help save time, too. Check out the infographic below to identify more meeting mistakes and learn how to hold more effective, successful meetings.