S02 Ep 03: Making Meetings Matter

Your Permission to Pause

Are you suffering from meeting overload? I’m exploring the world of meetings - specifically, the challenges and strategies behind making them truly matter. We've all experienced the frustration of unproductive meetings that seem to dominate our schedules. Hybrid meetings, in particular, can drain our mental energy as we navigate the complexities of blending in-person and online participants. That's why I’ll be discussing how to create more effective, intentional meetings whether they’re fully in-person or entirely online. Throughout this episode, we'll explore key frameworks to ensure every meeting you hold has a clear purpose, defined outcomes, a structured agenda, and the right participants. We'll also tackle common pitfalls like meeting overload, lack of follow-up, and the crucial role of leadership in modeling excellent facilitation skills. If you're ready to reclaim your time and transform your meeting culture, don’t miss this episode.

Here are the Highlights:

04:29 Rethink meetings for genuine connection and effectiveness.

08:21 People passively accept calendar invites without thought.

11:20 Rethink and improve meeting culture for productivity.

14:04 Use agendas with questions for better outcomes.

17:55 Control diary; attend necessary meetings only.

22:03 Conclude meetings by recording agreed actions visibly.

26:43 Information, conflict resolution, time management, emotional intelligence.

28:43 Clarify decision-making process to avoid chaos.

31:46 It’s better for the whole meeting to be in person or online. If you must go hybrid you need to be on point and have a creative agenda.

Meet your host Jo Cowlin

Jo Cowlin keeps it real.

Some people might like to call her ‘a motivational people development expert’ but Jo would rather you didn’t.

Jo is a no-nonsense, straight-talking northerner

She is also a transformational coach, facilitator and game changer. She has a passion for results and is dedicated to helping leaders realise their aspirations without compromising their wellbeing.

She dares individuals to be different by eliminating corporate BS, life coaching, and hand-holding, and instead encourages breaking through barriers to gain clarity and step into personal power for a life without limits.

Passionate about learning and growth, she is dedicated to delivering results, drawing from her own experiences of overcoming corporate burnout, overwhelm, and a lack of direction. She turned this all around, and created a way forward that brought the balance that she needed to thrive no matter what life threw at her. Resilience and a proactive approach to mental wellbeing is at the core of all of her work which is predominantly aimed at helping leaders and their teams refocus, regroup and rapidly adjust to change. With a background in pharmaceutical leadership and expertise across various sectors, she offers coaching and leadership programs tailored to individual and organisational needs.

When Jo isn’t transforming company cultures, you’ll find her managing her 3 teenage girls’ busy social calendars. She’s a dab hand in the kitchen and true to form, loves to keep her food real. And if she isn’t doing either of those you will find her out in nature walking her dog or lifting a barbell in the gym.

Find out more about Jo here: https://jocowlin.com/

Connect with Jo:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jocowlin/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jo-cowlin/

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