Every Tuesday, sales expert Andy Bounds shares his top tips to improve your sales and communications. This week’s is…
Ensure your meetings generate actions, not merely ‘discussion topics’
We have all been to meetings which, on reflection, were little more than a glorified chat… lots discussed, but not one action arising.
I doubt you have the time to waste attending pointless meetings like this. I certainly doubt your company can afford thousands of man-hours being absorbed in this way.
One simple solution: in meetings, after every discussion topic, ask a question to identify the action to take:
… ‘So, what action should we take as a result of this conversation?’
… ‘Which of us should take an action, to move this forward?’
… ‘So, what are our next steps here?’
Unless you ask a question like this, people aren’t clear on the actions. And, when actions aren’t clear, they don’t happen.
Action point
Identify the next meeting you are chairing. Script – and practise – a few questions to turn conversations into actions. And then use them in the meeting.
A quick post-meeting email summarising everyone’s agreed actions will increase the likelihood of them happening.
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Andy Bounds
Emma Merry(PA): +44 (0) 7900 217 929
T: +44 (0) 151 231 6110
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