📺 Stream EntrepreneurTV for Free 📺

Tired of Useless Meetings? 9 Ways to Make Them More Effective. (Infographic) Agenda Item Number 1: Control your meetings so your meetings don't control you.

By Kim Lachance Shandrow

entrepreneur daily

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

This article originally published December 10, 2015.

Meetings. What a drag they can be. They go longer than they're supposed to. Someone blabs out of turn or off topic. Your mind drifts to tasks you could be checking off instead of sitting there, stuck. Then come the action items and, tag, you're it. Your to-do list just got longer.

Sound familiar?

Sure does to us. But, believe it or not, not all meetings are total timesucks and not all meetings are boring. Some run like clockwork. With an attendee nip here and an agenda tuck there, they can be much more efficient, productive and, if you're lucky, even a little fun.

Related: 5 Reasons In-Person Meetings Still Matter

From holding walk-and-talks

outside in the fresh air, to scheduling start times like a Swiss train conductor (we kid you not), here are nine clever ways to have more effective meetings, care of the meeting makers at CT Business Travel. Bonus: Not one mention of Robert's Rules of Order, we promise.

Click to Enlarge+


Related: 'Owning' a Room, Even When You Don't Feel That You Can

Efective meetings (Infographic)
Kim Lachance Shandrow

Former West Coast Editor

Kim Lachance Shandrow is the former West Coast editor at Entrepreneur.com. Previously, she was a commerce columnist at Los Angeles CityBeat, a news producer at MSNBC and KNBC in Los Angeles and a frequent contributor to the Los Angeles Times. She has also written for Government Technology magazine, LA Yoga magazine, the Lowell Sun newspaper, HealthCentral.com, PsychCentral.com and the former U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. C. Everett Coop. Follow her on Twitter at @Lashandrow. You can also follow her on Facebook here

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

Science & Technology

Brand New GPT-4o Revealed: 3 Mind Blowing Updates and 3 Unexpected Challenges for Entrepreneurs

Unveiling OpenAI's GPT-4.0: The latest AI with vision, auditory, and emotional intelligence abilities is revolutionizing industries. How will it affect your business?

Social Media

How To Start a Youtube Channel: Step-by-Step Guide

YouTube can be a valuable way to grow your audience. If you're ready to create content, read more about starting a business YouTube Channel.

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.

Business News

The Music Giant Behind Beyoncé, Harry Styles and Adele Bars ChatGPT From Using Its Songs

The world's largest music publisher sent letters to more than 700 companies demanding information about how its artists' songs were used.

Leadership

You're Reading Body Language All Wrong — And It's Putting Your Next Business Deal On The Line. Decode Non-Verbal Cues By Following These 5 Steps.

In the intricate dance of business meeting negotiations, the nuances of communication become the fulcrum on which decisions balance. For the astute entrepreneur, understanding body language is not just a skill; it's an imperative. However, relying solely on isolated gestures can be deceptive. To truly harness the power of non-verbal cues, one must grasp the concept of "clusters."

Growing a Business

Clinton Sparks Podcast: The Struggles and Fame of Rapper Lil Yachty's Entrepreneurship Journey in Hip-Hop

This podcast is a fun, entertaining and informative show that will teach you how to succeed and achieve your goals with practical advice and actionable steps given through compelling stories and conversations with Clinton and his guests.