6 Ways to Supercharge your Business Meetings in 2023

Put together an agenda and circulate it to all attendees prior to the meeting along with a calendar invite. Don't make agenda crafting into an unnecessarily time consuming task though: bullet points are fine. The agenda should reflect what you hope to accomplish during the meeting. Always consider the time allotment for the meeting so that you don't include too many agenda items and never go over the amount of time set for the meeting. No one complains about a meeting that ends before its allotted time, but running over fails to show adequate respect for peoples' time. Each agenda item should be specific except for the last one which should be designated as miscellaneous in order to capture any additional thoughts, ideas, suggestions and questions.

If there aren't too many attendees, all participants are in the same location, and the weather permits, consider organizing an outdoor walking meeting. Conducting a meeting outdoors can be extremely uplifting. Movement is healthy not only for the body, but for the mind. A walking meeting may very well inspire new ways of thinking that will benefit your company.

Stay on point by having a “parking lot” for questions to consider at the end of the meeting. By utilizing a parking lot, you can avoid distractions and tangents, while still being sure to address issues of interest and concern to the meeting participants.

When it comes to formulating strategies, consider asking the most junior folks in the room what they think is the most sensible way to proceed. This not only shows that everyone's opinion is valued, but will undoubtedly lend an interesting perspective from the people closest to certain issues.

Consider having the group do a brief minute meditation together at the very end of the meeting so that everyone can collect their thoughts and calm their minds before leaving the meeting. This not only is a good way for the group to bond, but can help meeting participants feel refreshed and better equipped to face and maximize productivity for the rest of their day. The meditation can be led by someone qualified to do so or the group can tune into an appropriate meditation using an app like Calm or Headspace. By doing the meditation at the end of the meeting, anyone who truly must leave can choose to do so

Circulate a brief summary and list of To Dos after the meeting so that everyone is on the same page about next steps.