Meetings are well known for taking a two minute topic and turning it into an hour long conversation. We all know that meetings can be painful and unproductive, but they're also an essential part of getting things done. So, what makes one meeting better than another? Here's how to identify the different types of meetings you'll run as an entrepreneur or small business owner—and how to structure them for maximum impact.
1. Status update meetings
A status update meeting is a regular meeting to give everyone in your company an opportunity to update their colleagues on what they're working on, what's coming up, and anything else that may be relevant. The reason behind holding a status update meeting is obvious: it helps keep everyone informed about what's happening across the organization. Status updates also help build trust between team members by showing that each person knows how their work contributes to the success of the whole group.
How do you run such a meeting? Think about what kind of information you want shared with everyone across your company (or department). It could include:
- What tasks are due next week or month;
- Any projects currently in progress;
- Plans for future projects; and/or
- Updates from individual employees' performance reviews or performance conversations – these moments can be illuminating as well!
2. Decision making meetings
A decision-making meeting involves the final approval of a course of action or policy. Most decisions are made by consensus, which means that everyone agrees on the proposed solution. Some meetings will have multiple options to vote on, in which case a majority vote is used. You can also use voting if there are no other options or if you have a tie between two choices.
Meetings where this type of decision is made include:
- Board meetings
- Strategy meetings
- Team meetings
When making decisions by consensus, remember that it's important to allow all members of your team to voice their opinions and give feedback on what they think should happen next (even if they don't agree).
3. Problem solving meetings
Problem solving meetings are a very common type of meeting. They're used to solve problems and improve processes.
They can be used to improve work-related issues and help employees achieve better outcomes. For example, you might hold a problem solving meeting to:
- Identify where your company's systems are falling short and how they can be improved
- Create an action plan for implementing new technology that will improve efficiency in your offices or retail locations
- Figure out how best to handle customer complaints about faulty products or services
4. Team building meetings
Team building meetings are all about building a team and fostering team spirit. The idea is that everyone comes together to work on their individual skills, while also learning how to work as part of a group. Team building is often used in formal business settings where people need to get along well with each other, but it can also be an informal way of getting friends or family together for a good time.
5. Info sharing meetings
The purpose of an info sharing meeting is to share information with your team. This type of meeting can be used for training or simply to pass on any new information that doesn't require everyone's input.
In an info sharing meeting, you might use a presentation or discussion format. You might also use both at the same time, by starting off with a presentation and then asking for questions (or vice versa).
An important tip when running this kind of meeting is to make sure you have all your materials prepared ahead of time so that you don't waste time getting things out at the last minute.
6. Innovation meetings
Innovation meetings are all about creating new ideas, products and services. They’re about exploring new opportunities and identifying problems or solutions that haven't been considered before. Innovation meetings help you create a plan for how to use your resources to create something completely different than what you already have in place.
For example, let's say you're the chief marketing officer of an ecommerce company that sells clothing online. Your company has been around for a few years now, but hasn't seen any major growth in their business—in fact, sales have actually declined over the last year due to increased competition from other companies entering into the same market space as yours (online retail). In response, your CEO asks all members of his executive team to come up with ideas on how they can turn things around by bringing in more revenue through incremental growth strategies such as increasing profits per customer or boosting brand awareness through advertising campaigns on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
The takeaway
Meetings are necessary, but they don't have to be so bad. The key is to make sure that every meeting is productive and efficient. By understanding the different types of meetings and what they're best suited for, you can use this knowledge to help your business run more smoothly.