How Technology Helps With Running Effective Meetings
As a business owner, you understand that while meetings are essential for collaboration and decision-making, they can also be significant drains on time and resources.
In today’s fast paced business landscape, time is money. Every minute spent in a meeting is a minute not spent on innovation, growth and productivity. In the UK alone, unproductive meetings are estimated to cost companies a staggering £26 billion each year. Given this, making meetings more productive is not merely a wish, but a necessity.
While meetings are intended to encourage better work outcomes by bringing people together to exchange ideas and drive common goals, disorganisation and a lack of focus often result in sessions where much is discussed but little is achieved. Common frustrations include meetings that run overtime, lack of preparation and the challenge of scheduling meetings at times that suit everyone.
Whatever people’s complaints, there appears to be a common agreement that businesses need to make meetings more productive, and we believe that technology can be the solution.
This article explores five key ways in which technology can transform business meetings to make them more efficient, engaging and result-oriented.
Five Ways Technology Makes Your Meetings More Productive
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Real-Time Collaboration and File Sharing
When using technology within your business meetings, one of the most effective ways of increasing productivity is by using platforms like Microsoft Teams to enable real-time collaboration and file sharing.
Participants can share, view, edit and comment on documents together during a meeting, significantly enhancing engagement and interaction. Seeing changes and contributions as they occur not only keeps the momentum of the meeting going but also ensures that all participants are literally and figuratively on the same page. This level of interaction promotes deeper discussions, sparks creativity and leads to more informed decision-making.
Another major advantage of making real-time adjustments to presentations, spreadsheets or other documents is that it replaces the slow, traditional process of circulating documents for feedback and waiting for responses. Instead, participants can provide instant feedback, enabling swift and effective decision-making based on the latest inputs.
Real-time collaboration tools also enhance inclusivity, allowing those who cannot attend a meeting in person to fully participate. Whether due to remote working arrangements or scheduling conflicts, these tools guarantee that no one is left out. As a result, every team member, regardless of their location, can contribute equally, bringing a broader range of perspectives to the table and leading to better outcomes.
Integrating real-time collaboration and file sharing into your meetings transforms them into more productive, inclusive and dynamic sessions. This not only streamlines workflows but also strengthens the cohesion of your working environment, seamlessly bridging the gap between remote and in-office employees.
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Virtual Conferencing
Platforms like Microsoft Teams and Zoom have revolutionised our approach to virtual meetings, making them nearly as effortless as face-to-face encounters. These tools provide high-quality audio and video capabilities, allowing participants to join meetings from anywhere in the world. This accessibility is crucial for saving time and supporting flexible work arrangements, such as remote and hybrid models.
Moreover, virtual conferencing technology enhances meeting productivity through advanced features designed to mimic and improve the in-person meeting experience. This includes:
- Virtual Breakout Rooms – These enable smaller group discussions within the framework of a larger meeting, promoting more in-depth and focused conversations. This feature is especially valuable for breaking down complex topics or tasks into manageable segments.
- Hand-Raising Features – This function helps regulate the flow of discussion, making it easier to manage turn-taking among participants. It ensures everyone has a chance to speak, which can be particularly challenging during large, in-person meetings.
- Customisable Backgrounds – These allow participants to maintain a professional appearance while minimising visual distractions in their environment. This feature benefits participants joining from less controlled settings, as it helps to keep the focus on the meeting content.
These features collectively keep attendees engaged and contribute significantly to the productivity of meetings, ensuring that each session is as effective as possible.
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Engagement Tools
To enhance engagement and participation, many conferencing tools include features like polls, surveys and Q&A sessions. Meeting leaders can use these features to gather real-time feedback, understand participant engagement and make quick, informed decisions to grow the business. They also keep participants active and engaged, which means they’re less likely to get distracted or lose interest.
Additionally, being able to immediately respond to how a meeting is going with these tools helps to keep discussions on track and focused on the meeting’s objectives. By using such interactive elements, meetings can evolve from being passive listening sessions to lively discussions that promote active participation and teamwork. This not only makes meetings more productive but also ensures that the time spent in meetings is truly valuable and effective.
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Scheduling and Coordination
Many people use digital calendars to schedule meetings, but there’s often more potential to unlock with these tools. Are you providing attendees with all the necessary information upfront? Could your calendar invites add more value?
Common frustrations like a lack of preparation and lateness can often be mitigated by making better use of your calendar. Simply adding a clear agenda in the calendar invite can make a big difference to meeting productivity by helping attendees come prepared.
Modern scheduling platforms like Microsoft Outlook have made organising meetings even easier. These tools automatically find suitable time slots that work for all participants, send out invitations and set reminders. With many businesses now operating in remote or hybrid working models, these digital calendars can also include virtual meeting links and detailed instructions directly in the invites.
Plus, because these calendars are integrated with email and other communication tools, it ensures that everyone receives timely notifications and can prepare for the meeting adequately, reducing scheduling conflicts and improving overall attendance. By utilising all of the features your calendar offers, you can ensure that every meeting is set up for success.
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Meeting Analytics and Follow-up
Meeting analytics and follow-up technologies greatly improve how productive business meetings are by providing detailed insights into how meetings are conducted and how participants contribute. For example, tools like Microsoft MyAnalytics examine participation patterns to provide data on how participants engage during meetings. This includes who contributes most, which topics get the most attention and whether some participants are consistently passive. This information can help managers and team leaders make informed decisions about structuring future meetings more effectively, ensuring that all voices are heard and that discussions are balanced and productive.
Additionally, technologies that automate the creation of meeting minutes and action items make the follow-up process much smoother. Platforms like Microsoft Teams have AI features that can automatically generate meeting summaries, list decisions made and keep tabs on tasks assigned during the meeting. This eliminates the need for handwritten notes and ensures the accurate recording and sharing of important details right after the meeting.
Having such detailed records maintains clarity and holds everyone accountable, as everyone has access to a clear summary of what was discussed during the meeting and what actions need to be taken next. Team members can refer to these summaries to check their responsibilities, deadlines and other important things, which minimises confusion and reduces the need for follow-up emails.
As a result, meetings become more than places where people just talk – they turn into effective tools for driving action and accountability, thereby enhancing the productivity and effectiveness of team interactions.
If you have any questions about implementing technology for your business or would like to speak to us about our managed IT services, contact the team at Acronyms IT Support today.