Black Friday Sale! 50% Off All Access

How to Run a Better Meeting (Infographic) A look at the state of business meetings and insight into how to make your meetings more efficient and effective.

By Catherine Clifford

Entrepreneur+ Black Friday Sale

Our biggest sale — Get unlimited access to Entrepreneur.com at an unbeatable price. Use code SAVE50 at checkout.*

Claim Offer

*Offer only available to new subscribers

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Many managers may feel as if their meetings have devolved into an opportunity for employees to space out or doodle. But how do you run a better meeting?

Video-communication company Blue Jeans Network offers these four tips to keep your meetings efficient and effective:

  1. Write out an agenda. It keeps the meeting focused.
  2. Kick off the meeting on time. Five minutes here and there stalling for late employees add up.
  3. Document topics covered and decisions made. Assign somebody to take meeting minutes for the group.
  4. Schedule meetings in off-peak times. There is a 20 percent decline in meetings from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. when people eat. Try a lunchtime meeting. Serving food is sure to reel them in.

In a report released today, the Mountain View, Calif.-based firm examines data from more than a million meetings hosted in 177 countries with its software. Consider the infographic below summarizing meeting habits in the U.S.

How to Run a Better Meeting (Infographic)

What is your most successful meeting strategy? Leave a note below and let us know.

Catherine Clifford

Senior Entrepreneurship Writer at CNBC

Catherine Clifford is senior entrepreneurship writer at CNBC. She was formerly a senior writer at Entrepreneur.com, the small business reporter at CNNMoney and an assistant in the New York bureau for CNN. Clifford attended Columbia University where she earned a bachelor's degree. She lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. You can follow her on Twitter at @CatClifford.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Making a Change

This All-Access Pass to Learning Is Now $20 for Black Friday

Unlock more than 1,000 courses to fit your schedule.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Health & Wellness

How to Improve Your Daily Routine to Strike a Balance Between Rest and Business Success

Here's how entrepreneurs can balance their time and energy to prevent burnout.

Business News

The Two Richest People in the World Are Fighting on Social Media Again

Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk had a new, contentious exchange on X.

Business News

Barbara Corcoran Says This Is the Interest Rate Magic Number That Will Make the Market 'Go Ballistic'

Corcoran said she praying for lower interest rates and people are "tired of waiting."

Money & Finance

Why Donald Trump's Business-First Policies Trump Harris' Consumer-Centric Approach

President Donald Trump's pro-business agenda is packed with policy moves encouraging investment to drive economic growth. The next Congress has a unique opportunity to support entrepreneurship and innovation, improving U.S. competitiveness with the rest of the world.