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Benchmark: Meaningful Meetings

Some data from a survey of managers asking how they run meetings, and percentages for various techniques used.

Thirty percent of supervisors surveyed in a recent poll estimated they spent at least 16 hours a week in meetings. Here's how many do it right. (And you?)

Percentage of respondents who say they always --

allow all attendees to participate 88%

define a meeting's purposes 66

address each item on the agenda 62

assign follow-up action 59

record discussion 47

invite only essential personnel 46

write an agenda, with time frames 36

specify questions for each issue 12

Note: Seventy-one percent of respondents were working in companies with annual sales of less than $10 million.

Source: GM Consultants, Pittsburgh, 1993.

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