Seven common meeting mistakes to avoid

A Harvard Business Review survey of senior managers shows 71% of respondents said meetings are unproductive and inefficient.

Inc. shares the following seven most common meeting mistakes to avoid so your team makes the most of its time.

1. Getting off the subject. When this happens, time is wasted, focus is gone and the problem remains unresolved. Be sure to keep meeting discussions focused and on topic.
2. No goals or agenda. When people invest their time in meetings, there should be a clear purpose and defined goals. This provides direction and ensures everyone understands the reason for the meeting and comes fully prepared. Sending an agenda to everyone before the meeting can help.
3. Meetings run too long. Meetings often run far beyond the time they should have ended. Try to end the meeting when you resolve the reason for the meeting or when progress toward resolution ceases.
4. Lack of preparation. If you are not prepared for a meeting, it can cause confusion and frustration for others. Pay attention to the agenda sent out before the meeting and be ready to fully engage.
5. Ambiguous results. Ambiguous results fail to solve the problems addressed in the meeting and create a cycle of repetition that requires more meetings to discuss the same issue. Focus on delivering definitive solutions.
6. You are missing key players. Even the best-planned meetings can be derailed when key people are missing. Make it a priority to personally reach out to people who are essential to the discussion and ensure they attend. You also should not invite people who do not need to be there.
7. Dictatorship of the few. When one or two people take over the discussion and push everyone else out, team members get frustrated and results are incomplete. Ensure everyone has a chance to participate, voice opinions and suggest solutions.