What are we doing here? A meeting objective is everything
How many times a week do you show up for a meeting, read the title and wonder "What is the point?". I would hazard a guess for many of us that number is way to big. A meeting objective can fix that.
It's not your fault, unless you are responsible for setting the meeting objective. Sometimes your colleages need information from other members of the team and they just don't know how to ask it. Or they just don't know what they need to know and they think a meeting is the fast way to solution.
It isn't 85% of the time.
What is a meeting objective?
Meeting objectives are a simple statement that define the goal of the meeting.
They are:
Clear and consice
Singular in focus
Are measurable
They are not:
Intangible or abstract
Broad and general
Open enden
Why are they important?
Meeting objectives are important because they set the purpose of the meeting in a meaniful way. They give you a base to build your agenda on. They allow you to decide at the end if the meeting was a success or not. Most importantly they make sure the meeting is productive and that all attendees know why they are there.
How to write them
Consider why you are having the meeting. Write down your goals for this meeting and then pick the most important one.
Summarize the goal and make sure it is actionable. It should be easy to determine success with a good objective
Briefly state the benefits of the objective. Communicate to the attendees what success for this meeting will mean
Example, "Decide the top 3 initiatives for the next quarters roadmap." This objective lets steakholders know what the outcome the meeting is to decide and gives them clear knowledge of what to prepare for.
Conclusion
A meeting objective is your first line of defence against a wasted meeting and lost time. Good meeting objectives are clear, focused and measurable. They keep all steakholders on task, and they should be written with teh desired outcome in mind.