How To Make Business Meetings More Efficient

Have you ever heard of a book called the death a meeting? When I first saw it I thought the cover photo funniest thing I've ever seen - a man sitting on the government table with his head and hands flat on the table as if it were to protrude above the

Back in my corporate days the software developer when I saw this book, I immediately knew exactly what he is talking about, and I was almost to the point I am to be honest. Message that it is still relevant in the virtual world today - if you let your small business meetings get off track that you can indeed be afflicted with the dreaded death of Meeting

Let me explain more: it can be easy to get caught up in a pleasant conversation with a client or a member of the team - you start with the time leading up to what you did last weekend, leading up to, etc. etc. However, remember that the customer does not pay for his wit and charm (though it may be an extra bonus!), so try to keep the meeting on track, or may you find that you are spending too much of your valuable time in meetings constantly trying to come up with some elusive definition more and more and more ...

I used as an example of a virtual assistant, it's my job to try to help their clients, and steering them along during the meeting to be on track is one of those things to do, as well as keeping chatter to a minimum. Believe me, chat can come from any one of us!

On the other hand, if you and your client have a relationship that enjoys a little talking then by all means, go for it - but make sure that the clock is turned off. Better yet, why not talk until the end of the meeting? Then you are flipping your time clock on and off!

When we talk to our clients that we should be asking them questions to help get the information that we need to get the job started and ended for that matter. I think it's a great way to increase business efficiency and for me and my party is scheduled for weekly check-in to make sure that all tasks covered and questions answered. As long as I keep the check in half an hour max, everyone is good to go, and none of us are spending too much time talking instead of actually doing it.

Keeping your small business meetings on the track means you'll have more time to spend actually doing the job instead of just talking about it!