Meetings are an important part of the lives of workers. A house survey revealed that 62.1% of people participate in 10 meetings a month, at least, and some even attend 30 meetings every month.
Despite all that time spent in meetings, several annoying patterns remain very present. We spend a lot of time holding meetings, but not enough to solve the problems associated with them.
Regardless of a specific order, we have compiled for you a list of major irritants experienced during meetings. Certain situations will probably sound familiar to you!
1- Talk about an unexpected topic
Are you tired of colleagues that always guide discussions about a subject that is not on the agenda? Well, you’re not alone! Our survey found out that, for many people, treating a subject that is not on the agenda is a major inconvenience. It’s understandable because if we devote time to an unexpected topic, we will have less time to spend on the other items.
2- The meeting’s goals are unclear
This point is closely related to the previous one. When goals are poorly defined, discussions are going in all directions, increasing the level of dissatisfaction among participants. They then feel that important issues are not addressed and that more attention is paid to other subjects. It even happens that some decisions are completely forgotten.
3- Lack of preparation of participants
This situation probably looks familiar to you. Some participants need to present a point during a meeting, but their lack of preparation is evident. Perhaps they haven’t done their job well, but maybe they didn’t understand that they were responsible for a point. In all cases, there’s a problem.
4- Wasting time
Tired of spending 10 minutes listening to your colleague tell stories that absolutely don’t interest you? The majority of people who responded to our house survey also hate wasting their time during meetings.
5- Technical problems
You’ve probably seen one of your colleagues having difficulties starting his PowerPoint presentation. Technical problems are common in the workplace. To make sure this situation doesn’t happen, make sure that everything works before you go to your meeting and, above all, remember the procedure to start your presentation.
6- Latecomers
People who arrive late to meetings are making everyone lose valuable time. It’s really frustrating. To make sure they stop doing this, don’t wait for them to start the meeting. They will eventually get the message and arrive on time.
7- Being invited for no specific reason
Have you ever attended a meeting without understanding why you were invited? Probably, since it would be a major inconvenience, according to our home survey. What’s worse than wasting precious time in a meeting that doesn’t concern us?
8- Lack of monitoring
An important task has been assigned to you during the previous meeting and you believe that you’ll need to talk about it during the next meeting. You work hard to deliver everything on time, you’re ready. Then, finally, no one talks about the task that was assigned to you. Frustrating, isn’t it?
9- Endless discussions
Of course, meetings are designed to discuss. However, a long discussion that leads nowhere is not really useful. All the discussions held in a meeting must be made according to a specific purpose and respect the time initially planned on the agenda.
10- People who cut off
Some people really like to assert their ideas in meetings. Sometimes, they can even interrupt others, which is not very polite. It’s really unpleasant for someone not to be able to express his entire thought on a subject. Also, never forget that people are not all comfortable with public speaking. If they are frequently interrupted, they are less likely to interact.
Solutions to what’s annoying during a meeting
But how can we put an end to all these inconveniences? Well, know that good planning of your meetings can help you solve many of those problems.
You can also start to use Beenote, a software that helps you to go throughout the meeting process. Beenote allows you to:
- Assign tasks to participants
- Document decisions
- Provide a precise time for each item on the agenda
- Plan your entire meeting in a few clicks
A well-planned meeting will surely eliminate most problems.
For the human side, you’ll need to be patient. If you have problems with your team members, a one-on-one meeting may be required. You’ll be free to talk and you will probably solve some problems.
And you, what bothers you the most when you’re attending a meeting?
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