We all spend more time in meetings than we would prefer to and for most of us they are energy depleting and at best moderately productive. Here are 3 simple suggestions that might improve the quality of the meetings you facilitate. 1. Give Each Agenda Item an Objective Essentially what are we trying to accomplish with each agenda item? The objective for each agenda item can be provided by the meeting owner or the person who asked to have a particular item on the agenda. To get a bit granular for the moment we would even propose that the Objective for each agenda item be printed right next to it. This gives people a visual reminder of what they need to focus on and what they're here to get done. There are generally 4-5 Objectives for typical agenda items in a business meeting: Make decisions Share information Advance the thinking on a specific issue Create buy-in Obtain input When meeting facilitators have implemented this technique we have observed a much more focused discussion with a clearer sense of purpose. 2. Bypass the Two-Person Meeting The most prominent thing we see in meetings today is two people going one on one with each other while others sit outside of this process and observe. Sometimes it is a healthy discussion, in most cases it a debate driven by a healthy dose of egos. More often than not it includes the meeting facilitator and someone else. Getting drawn into this kind of…