10 Types of Meetings and How to Run Them Effectively
With today’s diverse work situations, different types of meetings in a company provide necessary opportunities for people on all levels of the organization to communicate and collaborate. It is no doubt meetings take up a large part of our daily work.
The problem is, how can we minimize wasted time on meetings and make them more productive? Being able to identify the types of meetings is key to this.
Here is an overview of the 10 most common meeting types. Plan well, set goals, and engage people more effectively than ever.
10 Common Types of Meetings You Should Know
Undefined meetings lead to confusion and wasted time. Before you send out a memo to the whole office, consider who should get an invitation email, the appropriate structure or format, your goals, and the process needed to achieve them. These ten types of business meetings should suit every specific purpose.
1. Information Sharing Meetings
In a way, all work gatherings include sharing information.
These meetings specifically focus on letting attendees know something specific about the company, their tasks, or upcoming plans. To keep things interesting, use visual aids like graphics and videos and interactive elements that let people share their ideas and feedback.
2. Planning Meetings
What will the department or the project team do next? These meetings focus on planning the path forward to reach necessary goals, fix issues that caused delays or disruption in the past, and keep people on track for the deadline.
Although headed by a project manager, the whole team should be ready to participate and give their own updates and expectations.
Examples:
Product development planning
Sales campaign planning
3. Status Update Meetings
Although software platforms exist that make it much easier to collaborate with the team on any type of project, status update meetings are still a necessary part of the process. Everyone involved should come together at a regularly scheduled time to discuss the three major problems:
What has been accomplished in the project?
What to do next and the focus?
Whether to prioritize tasks in a different way?
When you keep everyone updated on the status of the project and allow for necessary shifts, your organization will be better equipped to handle industry changes.
4. Problem-Solving Meetings
A problem-solving meeting is where people come together to analyze a problem and find an optimal solution.
These high-pressure meetings affect everyone, and they may take longer than other types even when a deadline looms. Do not waste time on blame or rehashing mistakes. Instead, focus on building a collaborative atmosphere where everyone is free to share their ideas and actively work toward a solution to get the project back on track.
5. Decision-Making Meetings
Ultimately, decisions are left to people in leadership roles. These types of meetings often happen after problem-solving meetings where everyone can share their ideas. The department heads and project leads come together to consider various potential solutions and make a yes/no decision on the path forward. They may also focus on talent acquisition, budget decisions, or new product or service development.
One of the essential planning stages for decision-making meetings is defining how everyone involved will make the decision. Outline how decisions will be made, so attendees know what they will face before they arrive. This will save a lot of time and prevent frustration.
Examples:
Deciding on an employee promotion
Setting a campaign budget
Final approval of a new product
6. Team Building Meetings (All Hands)
Departments and project teams work better when all members know each other and feel comfortable with the group, and that’s what team building is for. Team building activities could include virtual board games, talent showcases, and outings where teammates will interact in a friendly manner.
Team building is especially important for remote workers who do not have the water cooler talk opportunities they had in the office setting. A successful team-building session should accomplish the following goals:
Build trust among team members
Improve employee morale and dedication to company culture
7. Innovation Meetings (Brainstorming)
Brainstorming is a cornerstone of any creative endeavor. Innovation meetings can include any number of people who come together to throw around unique ideas and figure out what would work for the overall benefit of a project or the company itself.
This is not the time to make decisions. Instead, let everyone freely speak their mind, encourage diverse input, and then give people time to think about the options presented.
Examples:
New product design
The slogan for a campaign
8. One-on-one Meetings
A two-person meeting is essentially a scheduled conversation focused on a particular topic or goal of mutual interest. According to Microsoft Workplace Insights, the 1:1s have increased by 18% since the pandemic.
A manager of one department may integrate plans with another. A project leader could give an update to a product stakeholder. An in-office mentor could meet with their mentee to offer professional guidance and career advice. These are frequently the shortest types of meetings and should include honest and friendly discourse.
Examples:
New employee onboarding
Performance review
Weekly one on one
9. Workshops
A workshop is a more casual meeting specifically focused on one topic. These meetings frequently take place outside of office hours. They may even take place at a local restaurant, event venue, or other unique location like a museum or a nearby park.
Workshops do not focus specifically on business matters. Topics like productivity, creativity, and stress management are frequently covered.
Examples:
DIY classes
Painting
Presenting skills
10. Training
Whether your organization is doing new employee onboarding or you need to upgrade the skills of an entire department, training meetings are a necessary part of operations. The transfer of knowledge and understanding from one person to another or group makes it possible for the business to grow and improve continuously.
Although some still gather everyone together in a large conference room for training, this is more frequently done through online eLearning portals these days. Still, access to the instructor or guide is an integral part of making sure everyone gets the knowledge they need.
Tips to Make the Most of All Meeting Types
The most important question you should ask yourself before planning a meeting is, “Is this meeting necessary?” Your team members have many tasks to complete every day. Wasting their time with unnecessary meetings takes away from their productivity.
Besides answering the above question objectively, consider the following tips to minimize disruption.
1. Set a clear objective
Save time during meetings by establishing a clear objective at the outset. This will help everyone stay on track and focused. Without an objective, the participants may meander off-topic or become sidetracked.
Establishing specific goals for a meeting before it begins also helps ensure that everyone leaves with a clear understanding of what was accomplished. A sense of accomplishment leads to improved job satisfaction and productivity.
2. Only invite necessary persons
Busy workers do not need their day interrupted by meetings that do not directly affect them. Trim your invite list carefully before you start.
The smaller attendance list will also ensure that everyone has an opportunity to speak. Fill the room with those who have the right skills to provide a benefit and have some stake in the outcome of the meeting.
3. Take and share meeting minutes
Without meeting minutes, the attendees may forget everything once they leave the conference room. With the Airgram meeting assistant, your team can collaborate on note-taking, assign action terms so they know their tasks, and even share the meeting minutes with everyone after the meeting is over.
If your team works remotely and takes virtual meetings, Airgram is perfectly integrated with Zoom, Google Meet, and MS Teams to record and live transcribe the meetings so that you can stay focused.
4. Keep a short meeting
In the past five decades, time spent in meetings has more than doubled. This has given rise to the “It could have been an email” meme that pokes fun at lengthy and unnecessary meetings. Whenever possible, keep things below 30 minutes to keep workers engaged and eliminate a lot of frustration.
Keep All Meeting Types Profitable
Organizing and attending productive meetings is one key to success in any business. There are many different types of meetings, and each can be profitable if done correctly.
When you understand the multiple types of meetings in an organization and plan them properly, the results for both the office and remote workers will improve. Leverage technology to make access and communication easier so everyone can share their ideas for improvements and updates on current projects. No one likes to waste their time in pointless meetings. Learn how to make each one effective, fair, and productive, and you will meet your goals more easily.
