Traditionally, business Meetings in India have been confined within the four walls of a dull office conference or board room. They also usually involve someone presenting a power point presentation, which clearly most people are not interested in, for a majority of the time. This is followed by a discussion that probably defeats the purpose of the whole meeting. To top all that, you will have people interrupting the meeting with unrelated questions and some excusing themselves to answer a not-so-urgent call.

When compared to international standards, most business Meetings in India seem highly disorganised and often unprofessional, especially if two or more companies are involved. But it doesn’t matter if the meeting is an internal company meet or a business arrangement with your partners, nobody likes attending meetings that feel like a complete waste of time.

 To help make your business meetings more efficient, and at the same time interesting for people who are present, we’ve curated some of the best ideas on the net. They are as follows:

1. We cannot emphasize more the importance of setting an agenda for the meeting and sticking to it. Sure, other related issues might crop up. But if they seem non-urgent, does not involve everyone present and can be pushed to another session, it is best to make note of them and save them for another meeting.
   
   
2. Before you begin the meeting, engage everyone present in a small talk to set a comfortable and receptive atmosphere. Spend some time though not too much, and then dive directly into the agenda of the meeting. Don’t beat around the bush and do not entertain any talks that are not related to the meeting after this point.
   
   
3. A typical feature of Meetings in India is that they go on for hours at a stretch. So always set a time limit for your meeting, preferably half the duration you actually intend it to be.
   
   
4. Make sure you have only the people you really need attend the meeting.
   
   
5. Always have a ‘wing man’ present. This person will essentially be your assistant; will bring in the refreshments, make sure everyone has a copy of the relevant files, will operate the presentation for you, etc.
   
   
6. Make sure you have a designated record-keeper who will note down the minutes of the meetings accurately and take special notes about all issues to be discussed later. These notes are very helpful when you’re reviewing the meeting.
   
   
7. Establish rules of conduct, for example when can people speak and for how long. Make sure you have a strict no cellphone or laptop policy.
   
   
8. Say what you have to say quickly, use very little time with the presentation, and encourage people to ask questions and discuss the issues. But make sure you moderate this discussion carefully to avoid disruptions and deviating from the agenda. This is the most common occurrence during Meetings in India; people trying to one up each other and speaking simultaneously. 
   
   
9. Let someone else run the show. As a manager, if you think that one of your team members can explain a problem or a technical aspect better than you can, let them.
   
   
10. And lastly, if the routine of sitting in a cramped up meeting room is getting stale, step outside the office and arrange for a large banquet hall or an outdoor space.
    
    A meeting followed by a casual lunch buffet will give all your employees a chance to interact and perhaps continue discussions on topics from the meeting agenda. Also a change in venue is an effective way of changing a person’s mood, thought process, concentration, and level of enthusiasm.
    
    
11. If your team responds well to this kind of a setting, you can try more such venue based sessions and team building exercises.
    
    
12. Always ask your team to evaluate the meeting and ask for feedback; what went wrong, what was good, how can we improve, did the agenda make sense, were the right people involved in the process, should some other team be involved too etc.  And more importantly, be open to any kind of feedback and honestly try to work on them.

Article Posted By : veethi@1234  On August 19, 2014lView All Articles

Organising a business Meeting in India? Findbestvenue  tells you how to make them more productive.

Article Source :

http://www.veethi.com/articles/business-meetings-and-how-to-make-them-more-fun-and-efficient-article-3213.htm

Keywords :
Meetings in India , Meeting in India , Conferences in India