5 things to consider about business meetings

We’ve all been there: business meetings that drag on and we feel that nothing much is being said, or that they are slowing down to a crawl. We are there because there is business to be had, and everything points towards a successful closing anytime soon, but things just seem to continue forever.

What is the point of a meeting with a customer, supplier or collaborator, if you leave unsatisfied, potentially confused and ultimately frustrated that little progress has been made and the matter will have to be revisited in the near future. At another business meeting…

There are a couple of simple strategies to follow in order to make it a success, and it would be useful to consider them before going into any business meeting:

Any kind of meeting requires preparation

All too often I have been sitting in a meeting where some, if not all, participants were completely detached, often had no idea what the meeting was about and why they were actually there. If you are running the meeting, at the very least send an agenda ahead of time, and – better yet – point out who is supposed to contribute to each part of the agenda. It doesn’t matter if you are the initiator or a participant, it is important to know what you are able to contribute to the subject matter.

Be prepared to assimilate information

Sitting in a meeting and finding that the other participants are unable to take in detailed information can be extremely vexing, especially if they have requested the meeting for information purposes in the first place. A business meeting is not meant to be relaxed, it is actual work! And the main reason for a meeting is sharing information about a common project, in order to make progress and get it sorted in the shortest time possible, with the least fuss possible. Being focused is a prerequisite, not a luxury.

Ensure that you know what you expect the outcome of the meeting to be

If you have invited someone to take a meeting because you can see them as a potential supplier, contractor, etc., make sure that you know exactly what it is you want to learn from them. This also means that you must first know what it is exactly that you want! Understand your own requirements, demands, wishes,… and explain them in detail to the person who is supposed to give you the answers you are looking for.

Know what exactly you are offering

If you are presenting your business, skills, products to someone who has invited you, they expect you to be clear about what you can and cannot do for them. This means that not only you’ll have to listen closely to what they want, you will also have to be quick about deciding if you can provide them with the results they are looking for, come up with ways how to do that, and usually be able to figure out at least a general idea of the cost (to be followed by a more detailed quote, of course). It’s a question of understanding yourself and your offer!

Be aware of what you do and do not want to be the outcome

If you are meeting with peers to exchange views on a situation, or maybe prepare for a common project, you would usually have a pretty good idea how and how much you want to be involved with this subject. Make sure to gauge your own ideas and requirements with those likely to be the outcome of the talks.

Apart from these five thoughts on how to prepare yourself to deal with the other participants in a meeting, let me give you three tips on how to deal with your internal processes:

• Be ready to ask for a break, if necessary. That can be information overload, the need for a beverage, or a quick breakout session to clarify certain things while others can take a break. Everyone will appreciate a break, for sure.
• Be prepared to defend your point of view. All too often meetings end up being unproductive because some participants steamroll the rest with their view on things. There is a reason why you are in this meeting, and your opinion and input are just as important. Make your presence count!
• Be prepared to pull out of a project. If you find that the meeting is going in a direction you are not comfortable with, give yourself ways to remove yourself from the situation. If it’s not for you, well, it’s just not for you!

Try to apply those eight handy tips to your next meeting and you’ll see that you’ll be much more efficient and alert, and leave a great impression with whoever you take your meeting with.