Build a better meeting

Do you spend much of your workday dashing from one pointless meeting to the next?

If left unchecked, the time spent on meetings can quickly swell, filling your entire day.

In fact, according to software company Atlassian, U.S. businesses waste $37 billion a year on meetings.

Here are three signs you’re in a bad meeting, from Joel D. Levitt, management consultant and author of 10 Minutes a Week to Great Meetings: 

Your meeting rambles on without a clear purpose or agenda. A specific agenda can reduce the length of the meeting and therefore the amount of time wasted. In a poll of management leaders, 90 percent blamed a lack of planning and organization for the failure of meetings. Combat this by taking a moment to review the agenda at the meeting’s opening. Make sure everyone is given the responsibility of pointing out if the meeting has veered away from the agenda.

People are texting, emailing or otherwise distracted. Set forth ground rules before the meeting begins: No texting, emailing or other interruptions during the meeting. If attendees forget and begin breaking the rules, gently remind them.