Meetings. We all have them, most of us dread them, but are they really that bad? When run effectively, meetings can be incredibly productive, energizing your team and aligning everyone to achieve common goals. The key is having clear objectives going into each meeting so that you stay focused, motivate participation, and walk away accomplishing something meaningful.
In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore how to set smart team meeting objectives, provide examples for different scenarios, and give you tips for running meetings that engage your team and drive results. Let's dive in!
What are Team Meeting Objectives?
Team meeting objectives are the specific outcomes you want to achieve from a meeting. They provide focus so you're not just getting together to socialize and shoot the breeze. Well-defined objectives also give attendees clarity on the purpose of the meeting, so they can come prepared to contribute to those goals.
Some examples of team meeting objectives include:
- Brainstorming ideas for a new project
- Making a decision on which vendor to select
- Updating status of workstreams and identifying blockers
- Aligning on goals and priorities for the quarter
- Reviewing budget variances and adjusting spending
- Developing a timeline for a product launch
The key is to be as specific as possible. "Discuss new project" is weak, while "Brainstorm creative ideas for new social media campaign" gives people much more guidance on how to prepare and participate.
Why Are Team Meeting Objectives Important?
Setting clear objectives for team meetings is important for several reasons:
They Keep Meetings Focused and On Track
Without defined objectives, meetings can easily veer into tangents that have nothing to do with the real purpose people are there. Objectives act as a north star to keep bringing the conversation back to the desired outcomes whenever it goes astray.
They Guide Preparation
When people know what the purpose of a meeting is in advance, they can prepare appropriately to contribute to achieving those goals. For example, if the objective is to review financial results, the finance team can prepare reports and analysis ahead of time.
They Help Attendees Prioritize
Let's be honest - we're all busy, and meetings take time. Well-defined objectives allow attendees to gauge which meetings should receive priority on their calendar based on the importance of the goals.
They Provide Clarity on Desired Outcomes
After a meeting, objectives make it easy to determine if it was successful. You can clearly evaluate if the goals were accomplished rather than just having a vague feeling it was productive.
They Increase Engagement
Meetings with clear purpose tend to have much higher engagement and participation than meandering discussions. Attendees can see how they directly contribute to the objectives.
How to Set Effective Team Meeting Objectives
Now that we've covered the importance of having objectives, let's look at some tips for setting great meeting objectives:
Be Specific About the Desired Outcome
Avoid generic objectives like "discuss project status." Instead get detailed: "Decide on final color scheme and images for new website homepage design." Quantify when possible - "Review Q3 financial results and identify $50K in budget cuts for Q4."
Focus on the "Why"
Don't just state what you want to achieve - link it back to a broader goal or purpose for extra clarity and context. For example, "Review customer feedback reports to identify top complaints so we can brainstorm improvements to retention."
Set a Maximum of 3 Objectives
Limiting to just a few meeting goals avoids overloading the agenda and diluting focus. Identify the most important outcomes and leave secondary items for future meetings if needed.
Inform Attendees Upfront
Share meeting objectives well in advance so people come prepared. Include them right in the meeting invite or agenda. Reiterate at the start of the meeting.
Evaluate if a Meeting is Needed
This is a big one. Before scheduling a meeting, think hard if a goal truly requires real-time discussion, or if it can be achieved through async communication like email or messaging. Don't meet just for the sake of meeting.
Examples of Great Team Meeting Objectives
To make setting objectives more tangible, let's look at some good examples across common meeting scenarios:
Brainstorming Session Goals
- Generate at least 20 new marketing campaign ideas for Q4 product launch
- Develop 5 innovative approaches to improve mobile app engagement
- Ideate 10 new features that could enhance user experience
Strategy Alignment Objectives
- Review competitive landscape analysis and identify 3 key differentiators for our product
- Discuss market trends and agree on top 2 opportunities to pursue next year
- Align on vision and strategy for entering new Europe market
Project Management Objectives
- Review status of website redesign project and confirm on track for 8/15 delivery
- Identify dependencies and critical path items for new product development launch
- Get updates from each workstream lead and remove any cross-team blockers
Team Building Objectives
- Have every team member share a little about their background and role
- Brainstorm ideas for new employee onboarding program
- Discuss challenges and benefits of remote work and share tips and tricks for improvement
Problem-Solving Objectives
- Root cause analysis of sudden drop in website traffic over past 2 weeks
- Review client feedback and complaints and brainstorm potential solutions
- Analyze manufacturing defects and develop plan to improve quality control
Status Update Objectives
- Program managers to share 2-3 min update on project timelines and budget
- Each sales rep provide status on deal pipeline and highlight at-risk accounts
- Marketing to report on campaign results and product team to cover traction metrics
Budget Review Objectives
- Finance to present Q3 budget variance report and explain drivers
- Department heads identify opportunities for 10% budget reduction
- Agree on revised budget allocations for remaining fiscal year
Tips for Running Effective Team Meetings
Of course, simply having sound objectives is only half the story - you also need to facilitate great meetings! Here are some tips:
1. Start by Reviewing the Objectives - Kick off every meeting by clearly stating the objectives and desired outcomes. This levels sets expectations.
2. Use an Agenda - Create a detailed agenda that allocated time to each objective and topic. Share it ahead of the meeting.
3. Assign a Facilitator - Appoint someone to own leading the discussion and keeping things on track vs. letting it go off the rails.
4. Engage All Attendees - Solicit input from everyone, not just the vocal few. Consider going around the table for thoughts.
5. Revisit Objectives Before Wrapping - Before ending the meeting, do a final review of the goals to confirm if they were achieved.
6. Track Action Items - Note any follow up actions, owners, and deadlines so items don't slip through the cracks.
7. Share Notes Afterwards - Send a recap with decisions, notes, and next steps to participants for reference.
8. Review Feedback - Solicit feedback on the meeting and make adjustments. What worked well and what needs improvement?
9. Start and End on Time - Respect people's time by not starting late or letting meetings run over.
How Supernormal Can Elevate Your Team Meetings
Looking for a simple way to make your team meetings even more productive, collaborative, and efficient? Supernormal is an app that facilitates collaborative note-taking and task management during meetings. Supernormal transcribes the meeting and takes notes so attendees can stay focused on participating. Notes are complete with a transcript, summary, and action items. They can be formatted for the type of meeting and you can even prompt Supernormal to include exactly the information you need.
With Supernormal, you get:
- Shared notes across attendees
- Recap summary with notes and tasks after each meeting
- Real-time task creation and assignment
- Seamless integrations so your notes can be filed in other apps.
The benefits are less time wasted, more active participation, and true alignment. Get your team on the same page by elevating your next meeting with Supernormal.
Key Takeaways
Here are the big lessons on setting effective team meeting objectives:
- Clearly define the desired outcomes upfront
- Limit to just 2-3 key objectives per meeting
- Share objectives ahead of time so people come prepared
- Keep meetings focused on achieving the goals
- Evaluate afterwards if objectives were met
- Leverage tools like Supernormal to drive productivity and focus
Well-run team meetings are critical to alignment, execution, and results. Take the time to set clear objectives, and you’ll keep attendees engaged while accomplishing what matters most. Now get out there and have the best team meetings!