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Chances are that you have been to a meeting or two that were complete wastes of time. In fact, according to a recent study, more than 300,000 hours a year are wasted in unproductive meetings.

While you can’t avoid all meetings, there are a few guidelines and protocols to use to maximize productivity and avoid costly mistakes.

1. Use Time in the Meeting Effectively
According to a recent survey by Harvard Business review that included 200 executives, only 17 percent reported that meetings are productive uses of individual and group time.

There are several ways meeting time isn’t used effectively, from meetings without structure to lists of what needs to be done that aren’t headed down a productive path. Setting up a productive meeting includes creating an actionable item list telling each person what needs to be done, and when once discussions are complete.

Meeting length also needs to be kept to a minimum and have a hard stop time. If there is a hard stop time, it forces those attending the meeting to make the most of the time they have.

2. Too Many Distractions
It’s easy to get distracted, especially in a meeting. Some of the most common reasons that distractions occur in meetings include inviting too many people to the meeting, annoying behaviors (i.e. chewing gum, tapping, eating, etc.) and playing or working on tech devices.

Because of external and internal distractions, meeting-goers often aren’t completely present at meetings. By implementing web and video conferencing tools, you can mitigate these problems and ensure the audience’s attention stays on the presenter.

3. No Facilitator to Run the Meeting
If you want to ensure your meeting is as productive as possible, then there has to be someone designated as the leader. There are some tools that can help with this. Many are included in web conferencing and presentation software.

4. No Tools to Help Communicate Comprehensively and Effectively
If you are attempting to collaborate on a shared project, many co-workers will bring in information that was derived from several places. They may reference emails, bring in notes they have hand-written or even have printed spreadsheets. With data from so many different places, it is often difficult to get everyone on the same page. This is when web conferencing tools become invaluable.

The Solution: Unified Communications
With unified communications (UC) collaboration and conferencing tools, you can maximize your meeting productivity. These tools allow you to eliminate the time spent traveling to meetings, thanks to the integration of video and/or web conferencing. Also, there are features that make planning and coordinating with attendees easy.

With UC solutions, employees can also avoid distractions, provide information that is needed quickly and effectively, and use meeting time effectively.

With UC tools, you can unify all types of business communications, including virtual, visual and voice, to ensure your business’s needs are met. Regardless of whether you need this for global announcements or daily meetings, the technology can help improve productivity for any business or organization.

If you are interested in implementing UC solutions in your business or organization, all you need to do is reach out to MonsterVoIP. Here, you can learn about the wide array of solutions available and choose the ones that best suit your business’s needs.