Meetings... Most people can easily think of something nicer to do. In fact, many people find meetings totally mind-numbing. Why is that? Do we get annoyed with colleagues who are meanwhile busy with entirely different things? Who visibly take no active part? Or are there other factors to consider? On average, we spend 6.5 hours a week in meetings, so at least let’s make them a bit easier and enjoyable! To help you, this blog describes the four biggest annoyances with meetings. Because once you realise why you approach meetings with a sense of foreboding, you know where changes should […]
In the cloud or in the safe? Secure your digital meeting documents!
The development of the Internet of Things has been advancing for some time and seems set to continue. Not only at home but in the office too, increasingly more devices, programs and digital tools are communicating with each other. That’s handy but it does call for continuous attention to security, as criminals are also keeping pace with these developments and computers are being increasingly held hostage by means of ransomware. Of course, the idea of this happening with your confidential meeting documents doesn’t bear thinking about! Stay a step ahead of the cybercriminals One of the steps that companies are […]
Knowing what type of meeting you're in
During a meeting, have you ever thought: “If only I'd known that a decision was to be taken on subject X today, I'd have prepped differently!” If enough of your colleagues are having the same thought, the meeting will soon become inefficient. What a pity, because it will last longer than is necessary or the decision in question will not be taken at all. And so another meeting needs to be planned on the same topic. What a waste of time! Luckily, such situations can be easily prevented. How? By clearly communicating the purpose of the meeting beforehand. Is there […]
Break through meeting traditions and save more time: 3 tips
The Netherlands has many nice traditions. We like good company, celebrating St Nicholas, food automats, raw herring and now we have all gotten used to celebrating King’s Day instead of Queens’ Day. These are some of the good traditions. But we also have customs that are not so good. For example, take those endless meetings. Thanks to our democratic genes, we often discuss and compromise far longer than necessary. 60 billion euros a year spent on meetings The average Dutch employee spends 6 ½ hours a week in meetings and the higher up you are in the organization, the more […]
Lean management: in the public sector too?
In recent years, many commercial organizations have undergone major improvements by working Lean. Lean working is a method in which all wastage in a process is eliminated in order to achieve maximum value. Removing wastage from the process lowers costs, which leads to improvement in corporate result. Smart, lean management Since its inception, this lean way of managing has not only become important for commercial organizations. Owing to budgetary pressure and an increasing demand for transparency by the public, the public sector is having to make even further cuts. So it’s high time to lower costs and improve quality. But […]
5 tips for meetings with an Olympic touch
A summer when the Olympic Games take place always has a bit of extra atmosphere. Who in Holland can forget the 2000 summer Olympics in Sydney when the Netherlands won no less than 12 gold medals, thanks largely to the feats of Pieter van den Hoogenband, Inge de Bruijn and Leontien Van Moorsel? It takes quite a lot to win such a medal. A top athlete’s entire life focuses on training programs and optimum fitness. But good focus is also important in meetings. Did you know that a person’s maximum attention span is only 45 minutes? So for the best […]
Optimum meetings at the end of the working day: 4 tips
For many professionals for whom meetings are commonplace, the working day doesn't end at 17.00 hours. Whether you work at a comprehensive school, hospital, government institution or commercial company: it's not always possible to get all colleagues together in the daytime. Other things often just need to be done from 9 to 5. Evening meetings? They're everywhere! After a hard day's work however, the clogged conference lurks just around the corner. Not in your veins this time, but in your organization. Especially when faced with regularly recurring and time-consuming meetings. Are you ready to clear the clogging in the conference […]
Paperless municipal meetings a mission impossible?
The topic comes up time and again in every company: valuable work time shouldn’t be wasted on long meetings. This is unsurprising, if you realize that the average employee meets 6.5 hours. Although the meeting process in companies can often be easily streamlined, municipalities face greater challenges when it comes to updating meetings. Municipal meetings consist of many hierarchal layers and a large number of employees are involved: not only during, but also before and after the meeting. The more organized the meeting process, the fewer man-hours and costs. And a more efficient meeting process requires fewer paper documents, that […]
