The two things you need to do to run great meetings, according to a leading corporate trainer

Research suggests Australians are spending more time in meetings than ever before.

What is worse is that almost 70% of Aussie workers believe meetings are a waste of time.

But there could be a solution.

According to corporate trainer Paul Axtell, Apple founder Steve Jobs insisted that after every meeting a person was made responsible for following up each item on the agenda.

That way, things that are discussed during meetings were appropriately actioned instead of disappearing into the ether.

“To make sure productivity doesn’t slow after you walk out of the room, do two things after and in between meetings: quickly send out clear and concise meeting notes and follow up on the commitments made,” Axtell writes in the Harvard Business Review.

“If you don’t capture the conversation and put into a form that can be easily retrieved later, the thinking and the agreements can be lost. Meeting notes aren’t a necessary burden. They’re a powerful way to influence others.”

Axtell points out that notes are very helpful because they can help reduce the number of people who need to attend the actual meeting.

“People love to be included and informed,” he says.

“Sharing a summary of the meeting is an important part of working on engagement.”

Axtell says it is necessary to distribute notes from a meeting within 24 hours of the event, as well as follow up on each of the key points.

This advice is echoed by Martin Nally, the managing director of HR Anywhere.

Nally previously told SmartCompany work meetings need to have some structure and purpose in order to be effective.

“You must have discipline about the structure of the meeting,” Nally said.

“It’s all about the value of respect and the value of care. Care for your employees and colleagues and you’ll run purposeful meetings that have an outcome and give people a voice.”