4 Common Mistakes That Can Derail Any Business Meeting

Now that we have a plethora of fancy, shiny gadgets to stream, video conference, tweet, and share our thoughts to, the traditional corporate meeting can seem a little old hat. In fact, it’s a trope that’s regularly used in sitcoms and TV dramas. You’ll see the team leader, all full of hot air and tired metaphors, and a bunch of sleepy office workers at the back of the room.

While it’s certainly true that some corporate meetings can be dull, the reality is that, with the right group dynamic, they have the potential to be truly inspiring. Nothing is as powerful as face to face contact and direct communication, so meetings are a valuable tool. The key is to structure them in a way which encourages energy and creativity.

This guide to some of the most common meeting pitfalls will help you get the most out of your corporate gatherings.

Using the Wrong Environment

The décor, lighting, temperature, and layout of workspaces have a big impact on productivity. After all, if you’re busy worrying about uncomfortable chairs or draughty meeting rooms, you’re not going to be focused on the task at hand.

At Servcorp, their meeting rooms for hire are beautifully presented, with original artwork on the walls and the finest AV and conferencing equipment. With carefully designed corporate spaces in Sydney and Melbourne, the meeting rooms are centrally located for your convenience.

Lacking a Clear Agenda

The other big faux pas is going into a meeting without the right amount of direction and purpose. Whether you’re chatting with employees, investors, or partners, you should know why you’re there and what the event is designed to achieve.

These days, it’s no longer enough to use meetings as a status report. You can do that in a hundred different ways via email. Time is precious though, so identify your goals. Are you launching a new project? Do you need feedback on a big idea? Could you potentially close on a major deal?

Speaking in Buzzwords

For a time, right around the early noughties, it was very trendy to use buzzwords like ‘blue sky thinking’ and ‘paradigm shift’ in the boardroom. While lots of business leaders continue to do this, it’s starting to fall out of favour. Ultimately, people want to be given plain, honest facts.

The truth is that you’ll never lose out by speaking openly and clearly, no matter what type of jargon is currently in vogue. If you’re trying to win over investors, it’s best to be succinct. If you can’t describe your idea in less than ten minutes, it’s going to be too complicated for most.

Having No Rules or Guidelines

This is a tricky one because everybody knows that meetings really can be boring sometimes. Finding ways to reinvigorate and inspire employees is a great idea, but there’s a fine line between creative perks and unnecessary distractions.

So, if you are going to keep things casual and encourage fairly informal discussions, do try to retain some key rules. For example, nobody (including the boss) should be taking phone calls or eating during the session. Afterwards is fine, but there has to be a degree of structure.

Where to Find Amazing Meeting Rooms in Melbourne

As already mentioned, there are some fantastic meeting spaces in most of the major Australian cities. Melbourne is home to a number of these resources, with many being operated by coworking and virtual office providers.

The beauty of working with a virtual provider is that you can access premium boardroom facilities, without having to rent a full office. These vendors have very flexible terms. For a small monthly fee, you get the opportunity to hire out meeting spaces for private use and benefit from a host of additional services.