How to make meetings worth showing up for

Introduction

I've spent a lot of time in meetings. I've watched them change from being a nuisance to being a necessary part of my day. But there’s one thing that hasn't changed: terrible meeting etiquette. You see what I mean when I say that while our interactions at meetings don't help us accomplish anything, they give the impression that we are more like robots with a yes-or-no response system than actual people.

This article will help you make your meetings worth showing up for by showing you how to behave around other people while still being yourself! In order for everyone to complete their work quickly and efficiently—and avoid being utterly bored—we'll also give you some pointers on what not to say during these crucial sessions.

The good news is, we can make meetings more tolerable. This is how:

1. Make it clear what you want from the meeting
2. Avoid asking for things that aren't needed (or won't be used)
3. Set an agenda for your meeting and stick to it!

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But how do you do all this? Read on to know!

Show up prepared

The first step is to be ready for the meeting even before you join. Being prepared would not only help you be organized, it also saves you time which is often lost in unnecessary chitter-chatter.

Here’s how you can be prepared for a meeting:

• Set an agenda in advance. It’s important to be clear on what you’re expecting from the meeting. Bring your own agenda (or explore our meeting templates). We've got some great ideas on how to approach meeting planning if given enough notice—but to start with the basics: bring yourself!
• Bring a list of action items and questions.
• Bring a list of topics to discuss, but don't feel like you have to know everything about them or even have them written down yet; this will keep your mind off the clock and concentrate on what really matters: making progress rather than getting bogged down in the nitty gritty.

Collaborate on notes

Even if you’re not the one making notes, make sure you give your inputs. And for that, it's important to understand how collaborative note taking apps work. The person in charge of making meeting notes should send an email or make a phone call to let everyone know that they will be using a collaborative app like Google Docs or Meetly. Then, when they start writing their own ideas in their own words, everyone else can see them too!

Here are some things to note while taking notes collaboratively:

• Make sure everyone has access to the note-taking tool in advance. 
• Too many people should not mean chaos, everyone should be clear on the agenda and know what to add in the notes.
• Personal Notes - Even if you’re taking notes as a team, you do still need space for your own thoughts.

Collaborative notes are particularly helpful if someone has trouble remembering what was discussed during a meeting because they weren't there in person, they'll have access to all ideas from people who were present in the meeting (and didn't forget anything).

Record action items

You can keep track of action items in a shared document. This keeps you organized and makes it easier for everyone to see what has to be done.

• To ensure that everyone in the team is aware of who is in charge of each item on the list, create the shared document with your team members using their initials as names.
• Include a column with the date of the meeting, so you don't forget about any future meetings even when they're scheduled months apart!
• In this example (from our own office), we've included spaces for each person's name and title at the top of each page in case someone has multiple roles within our organization:

Send meeting notes

Meeting notes are the most important part of any meeting. They should include an agenda and the summary of what happened, who attended and what was discussed. This is the best way to document your meetings and to keep everyone in loop even if they miss a call. Though the components of meeting notes differ from meeting to meeting, here are the things that make for the most part of it:

• Date:
• Time:
• Location:
• List attendees
• Agenda/attachments (if applicable):
• Action items (if applicable):

Everyone's time is valuable and you don't want to waste anyone’s.

When you show up for meetings, you don't want to be seen just as a subordinate. You want to be seen as a valuable advisor and a respectable peer by your coworkers.

When I was working in a team, I learned that my coworkers didn't care if I held the door open for them or helped them carry their bags when they came into work on a Monday morning - they wanted me around because they understood how difficult it was for me and my team members to get through each day without being interrupted by phone calls from clients or other team members.

Conclusion

If you want to make meetings worth showing up for, it’s important to communicate well with your colleagues. You can do this by making sure that everyone is on the same page with what needs to be done for each meeting and by ensuring that everyone understands their roles within the team. By doing so, you'll help ensure that all of your meetings are productive and fruitful in helping your business grow!

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