10 SIMPLE STEPS TO HOSTING MEETINGS

THAT DON'T SUCK

MEETINGS GENERALLY SUCK. They drain time and resources, hinder productivity,

and can even affect employee morale.

About ProofHQProofHQ, a Workfront company, is the global leader in online proofing used by nearly 3,000 of the top brands and agencies worldwide. Easy-to-use collaborative review tools streamline the review and approval of content and creative assets, while powerful workflow tools keep projects on track. ProofHQ can be used across all media including print, digital and video. With ProofHQ, marketing teams deliver projects faster, with less effort and greater accuracy. Give ProofHQ a try, on us, by scheduling a custom demo by visiting www.proofhq.com/demo-request

Resulting in $37 billion in lost salary annually in the United States. Furthermore, most employees consider meetings a waste of time.

So why do we have them? Surely, there must be a better way.

As a marketing manager, how can you make sure that the next meeting you plan is productive, enjoyable and effective?

Stick to this 10-point checklist and you’ll be on the right track.

MEETINGS ARE ALSO INCREDIBLY COSTLY.

MEETINGS CAN BE BENEFICIAL—IF THEY'RE RUN RIGHT.

HOWEVER,

Have You Established the Goal of the Meeting?

You’re the manager calling the meeting. Do you know what the meeting is being called

for and what you hope to accomplish?

Hint: “Because we always have a meeting on Tuesday” is not a

sufficient reason to plan a meeting. Which brings us to our next point...

01

Have You Determined if You Need a Meeting?02If your meeting doesn’t have a specific goal or drive your business or project forward, it

will only frustrate you and attendees. General purpose meetings with 20 participants

are utterly useless. A meeting that is just a list of updates isn’t necessary. Instead, send

an email or have a 10-minute stand-up session. If you don’t need a meeting, don’t call

one.

Have You Planned Out Your Meeting Ahead of Time?

03

Write out a meeting agenda, not just for attendees but yourself. Consider adding

a timeline for each agenda item to hold yourself and participants accountable for the

tasks at hand. Remember, you have a set amount of time – don’t waste a single minute.

Have You Determined if You Need a Meeting?04Now that you’ve established the goals for the meeting, only invite the people who can

help you accomplish those goals.

Another thing to keep in mind: whoever is at your meeting will not be at their desk,

which means they are losing productivity.

Have You Determined an Appropriate Duration?05A meeting that runs longer than scheduled can damage your team’s productivity for the

day and make you a few enemies along the way. Make your meetings only as long as

they need to be. A short meeting creates a sense of urgency and helps to keep people

on task.

Have You Selected an Appropriate Location and Time?

06

Have you ever attended a meeting first thing in the morning or one where the

conference room equipment didn’t work? Don’t let this happen to your meetings. Make

sure that the location is conducive to hosting the type of meeting that you’re planning,

and that everyone can comfortably make the meeting time.

Have You Established the Rules of Engagement?

07

As the meeting organizer, it is up to you to set expectations for how your meeting will

run, and how participants will treat each other during discussions. Is the meeting

intended to be a collaborative, open discussion? Or will you be making a

structured presentation?

Have You Considered Making the Meeting Device-free?

08

X XX

This may not apply to all meetings, but consider a ban on technology. Win the

attention span battle by designating a scribe who will distribute notes after the

meeting is over.

Have You Written an Informative Invite?09To get the results you want from a meeting, write a better invitation. Make clear your

goals, agenda, and discussion topics and request that attendees prepare in advance.

MORNING!

Have You Taken Steps to Ensure the Meeting Ends on Time?

10

Nothing, and we mean nothing, sucks more than a meeting that doesn’t end on time.

Rather than rehash everything that was discussed at the end of the meeting, follow up

with an email documenting the applicable points instead.

Who We Are and What Do We Do?

About ProofHQProofHQ, a Workfront company, is the global leader in online proofing used by nearly 3,000 of the top brands and agencies worldwide. Easy-to-use collaborative review tools streamline the review and approval of content and creative assets, while powerful workflow tools keep projects on track. ProofHQ can be used across all media including print, digital and video. With ProofHQ, marketing teams deliver projects faster, with less effort and greater accuracy. Give ProofHQ a try, on us, by scheduling a custom demo by visiting www.proofhq.com/demo-request

www.proofhq.com