What to do before meetings that leads to increased productivity

Make sure the team is familiar and comfortable with the software used

• Ensuring team members are trained in the soft wares and programs being used helps reduce issues when connecting

Provide sufficient time before meetings

• Starting meetings 5 minutes later (e.g. 11:05am rather than 11:00am) allows employees a 5 minutes break between meetings to step away to get coffee/water, use the restrooms and allows time to prep for the next meeting.
• Having a predetermined timeslot each week for regular meetings is a good way to ensure the team will be prepared for the meeting.
• Spontaneous or sudden meeting invites may lead to team members being underprepared for the meeting as they had not been given time to plan for it. They likely will not have any time to clear up any roadblocks in the tasks they are working on and might not be able to provide detailed information on the work’s progression

Provide important documents and background information prior to the meeting, as well as informing team members of the objectives and purpose of the meeting. 

• Including the reading or debrief material prior to the meeting (in the meeting invitations) will lead to the team members being more prepared, as well as giving them the ability to prepare the documents they need in order to meet objectives.
• Less time will be spent in the meeting explaining concepts and projects, and more time can be spent in engagement discussions and working progressively.

Set yourself up for success by creating a meeting environment with no distractions or setbacks.

• If a meeting is planned on your calendar ahead of time, make sure your device battery is fully charged and ready to last the meeting.
• Call into the meeting from a quiet workspace, with minimal background distractions - meetings will be more productive when the discussion can be focused on work rather than being hampered by background noise. 



**Don’t forget that working from home can be a challenging and stressful time for some, and certain factors such as having children needing attention at some point will occur. Be mindful of your team member’s needs and be tolerant of certain minor setbacks during meetings.

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