What would happen if you opened up your next meeting with a spontaneous round of Duck, Duck, Goose?
I suspect that you would probably lose credibility and people might suggest that you might need therapy. But, it would be a meeting that no one would ever forget. Right?
When was the last time you were in a meeting which energized you? Really good meetings are engaging, and people are energized by the outcome. I work with many professionals and executives who frequently complain about the amount of time they spend in meetings. This is dramatically apparent in organizations which measure success by billable hours.  Additionally, volunteer teams who are stretched thin by full time jobs and other life commitments also struggle with meeting overload.
Most importantly,  we all long to spend more time getting our actual work done and less time in meetings. However, since we aren’t robots and need to interact with others, meetings won’t go away.  The least we can do is make sure that they end well.
How do you end meetings well? Whether it’s a sale consultation, leadership team pow-wow, committee conference call, or volunteer lunch, let’s all commit to put the proper ending to any meeting.
Four tips for a proper Meeting End:
- Review decisions that were made during the meeting. Confirm that everyone either agrees or is willing to go along with the decisions.
- Review the communications that are needed. Â Identify who will perform the communications and who needs to receive the communications.
- Review the actions required, the individuals responsible and the appropriate due dates.
- Determine how the team will be held accountable for the agreed upon actions.
How are you planning to end your next meeting?