O2K’s Definitive Guide to Planning Productive Meetings with Microsoft

• by Admin
• /
• June 30, 2022

An idea - that is all it takes. As the manager, this particular idea feels like a jackpot - and you can’t wait to share this with your team. You’re imagining hours of brainstorming, a buzzing conference room and several cups of coffee. After all, when brilliant minds come together, ideas can only elevate. So you schedule a meeting - confident, you will be armed with better ideas, an implementation strategy and a set-in-stone plan of action.

The reality? The meeting kicks off later than expected, a good twenty minutes being spent in connecting, reconnecting, muting and unmuting mics before you hit the agenda. The brainstorming doesn’t take off as expected - in fact, more ‘follow up’ meetings are planned to make up for this one’s ineffectiveness. And just like that, your idea’s momentum kicks the bucket.

If this is the sort of observation that seems all too familiar, we are here to affirm - you’re not the only one to feel this way. A study conducted by MIT SLOAN concludes that only 50% of time spent in meetings is effective. This number drops further when studying remote meetings. So, what does it take to plan an effective meeting? Shorter meetings? Longer breaks? Flexible timings?

Armed with 2 decades of experience in amping up the productivity for offices across the world, our office experts curate some time-tested guidance for productive hybrid meetings -

Agenda, Agenda, Agenda

Meetings are nothing without a pre-planned agenda in place - after all, free-styling when it comes to using your team’s time hardly seems fair. For instance, Doodle reports more than $541 billion in employee time was wasted at meetings in 2019.

With an iron clad agenda, remember to make time and space for brainstorming - especially when it is an idea or initiative that is up for discussion. Make time for more brainstorming during meetings by automating smaller tasks like switching on equipment and taking minutes of meetings with Microsoft Teams Rooms’ AI.

Schedule for better results

Working with a hybrid team means being flexible about scheduling your meeting so everyone essential to the agenda at hand is present. But did you know the agenda your meeting addresses can also define the perfect meeting time?.

According to Harvard Business Review, brainstorming sessions yield better results during mornings - between 8 am to 12 pm - while discussions around problem solving are effective during the later part of the day. Fortunately, when it comes to reserving meeting rooms - all it takes is a tap of the button with Microsoft Teams Rooms.

Inclusive, not Exclusive

Diversity in thought process and presentation paves way for out-of-the-box and interesting ideas. After all, meetings are a space not just for unanimous agreement but also where contending ideas can unearth something groundbreaking.

Hybrid workspaces means remote and onsite colleagues get a chance to collaborate in one space. Why not make this space more conducive? With Microsoft Teams Rooms, every meeting room display is configured for video layouts that help teams chat, stream content and connect with each other simultaneously.

Results are as important as the agenda

It is easy to lose sight of goals of meetings in pursuit of healthy discussion. After all, meetings are meant to be collaboration hot spots, right? But hosting a productive meeting means you, as a manager, need to don the ‘facilitator’ cap to produce actionable results.

If your meeting centers on making a solid choice, steer the conversation from ‘maybes’ to achieve a decisive conclusion. Remember every meeting you organise or run needs to produce something actionable - an action plan, a collection of ideas or the next steps.

More importantly, a platform where every deliverable, plan of action and ideas are accessible and encrypted. Devised for impenetrable security, Microsoft Teams Rooms are layered with encryption to even protect your data through OneNote and SharePoint platforms.

Your One-Stop Solution for Productive Hybrid Meetings

Designed around hybrid meeting experiences and for the fast-evolving workplace habits, Microsoft Teams Rooms anticipates and solves to make your meetings, brainstorms or collectives immersive. After all, any well-functioning team should only be separated by ideas, not technology.