Meetings rarely end when they’re supposed to. Ever wonder what to do about it?
Why not state the meeting will end 5 minutes earlier than you originally thought. Instead of 5:00 p.m., tell everyone it will end at 4:55 p.m.
1) Cushion is better than being rushed
2) When the organizer also keeps time (perhaps by setting an alarm) wrap up doesn’t go past 5:00 and they don’t feel as rushed to finish.
3) Knowing a meeting won’t last for a full hour, attendees will be encouraged to tighten conversation, ask the important questions, and won’t feel bad for staying an extra two minutes, because no one is going to plan something else at 4:57 p.m.
The bad side to this 5-min grace period: people may still view it as “we’re getting out 5 minutes early” and if they don’t get out at 4:55, they may get frustrated.
Then again, all it really comes down to is awareness. For effective meetings, you don’t need to follow this tip, you merely need to think about meeting effectiveness, talk to others about managing their time better, and put it at the front of your mind when you walk into a meeting.
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