"Let's just have an open discussion!" This is a well-intentioned statement that we hear a lot in teams.

There are a couple ways it could go wrong, though.

Let’s start with this: what do we even mean by 'open'? The intent of calling an open discussion “open” is to encourage participants to share openly. But it also tends to refer to the process, or way the forum is conducted, like 'open mike,' and there’s rarely full openness in what is shared.

At any point in your meeting, are the participants in the meeting clear on the “who, what, where, when, why and how” of the meeting? If you can cover these, your meeting will be much more inclusive and much more likely to succeed. Let's go through each.

If meetings have been a drag in 2021, and you're resigned to the fact that there are too many, the five tips below will help you make your meetings more productive and efficient so you can have fewer of them.