1. Status Update Meetings
Almost every company is familiar with those recurring team meetings that were initially intended to share updates on the latest projects and make sure everyone on the team is on the same page about the process of the project. These meetings are meant to remedy any communication hiccups that may end up wasting significant amounts of time doing the same thing or facing the same challenges over and over.
While these types of meetings might not be the most fun or engaging, businesses use them to address any problems that have come up, assign tasks and make any decisions necessary to move forward effectively. Such meetings can turn into quick sync-ups and are less susceptible to dragging on past the given time frame.
2. Decision-Making Meetings
Although managers generally have the final say, the discussions around important business decisions often occur in larger groups. Smaller decisions may be made in status update meetings, but important ones will command their own dedicated meeting times.
The process of making a decision could be spread out over several different meetings so that all parties have a chance to gather information, come up with solutions and vote on how best to move forward. This can result in a lot of time tied up in meetings and communicating back and forth.
3. Problem-Solving Meetings
Similar to decision-making meetings, problem-solving meetings have a specific goal in mind. There’s no standard problem-solving meeting since issues vary depending on your team and your organization, but these types of meetings are crucial nonetheless.
These meetings may be based on emergencies that need to be resolved quickly. For example, the source of the problem may not be identified yet or there could be several different priorities to manage in finding a solution to an identified problem. Either way, these meetings give colleagues the chance to brainstorm, evaluate solutions and solve the problem at hand.
4. Team-Building Meetings
Although every meeting is a chance for a team to become a little closer by engaging in banter at the beginning and gaining a stronger understanding of their counterparts, sometimes it is necessary to have a planned team-building meeting.
These meetings can be corporate events or outings for the team, department or entire company and can serve to generate some employee loyalty and engagement. They are the perfect opportunity to encourage employees to mingle and create more personal relationships that can aid the progress and growth of the organization.
5. Idea-Sharing Meetings
Sometimes it’s better to have the whole group get together and share new ideas rather than distributing them in a meaty email or chaotic chat thread.
Not only do these meetings allow the speaker or presenter to go more in-depth on a topic, conversations can happen in real time and team members can ask questions. These meetings also make idea sharing interactive, giving colleagues the chance to bounce ideas off of one another, ultimately resulting in more teamwork, stronger relationship building and an engaging meeting experience. While this type of meeting can take up a great deal of time, it often results in new product ideas, expansion to new markets and ways to get ahead of the competition.
6. Innovation Meetings
Every organization needs new ideas from time to time, and innovation meetings are the standard answer to that need. It is difficult to force creativity, but you can solicit as many ideas as possible and then filter through them to find the most suitable ones.
Innovation meetings can sound obscure to attendees, but they are essential to making sure your company continues to move forward rather than retaining the same operating protocols year after year because they provide the organization a chance to try something new.
While it might feel unnecessary or obvious, defining the type of meeting you are having can guide the way your colleagues prepare for your meeting, help you establish a clear agenda and save everyone time. Here are a few tips on how to illuminate exactly what to do to turn your meetings into solid time investments.
