Defining an overarching objective, or goal, of a meeting is arguably the most important step of meeting planning. Objectives not only help us to hold sessions that have purpose, direction, and achieve results, but they also help us to avoid meeting overload, poor attendee experience, and wasted costs.
As an Executive Assistant (EA) or meeting planner, defining the meeting objective will often be your responsibility. While your executive may suggest high-level goals, it’s up to you to act as their strategic partner in turning these goals into actionable plans.
Creating clear objectives is especially crucial for in-person meetings where attendees travel to participate, or meetings that involve many attendees. If you're struggling to define your meeting objective, it’s often a sign the meeting needs more planning, better communication, or even an entire rethink.
There are many benefits to having a strong meeting objective, one being attendee experience. Having clear goals defined ahead of a meeting encourages attendee preparation, participation, and enthusiasm. Understanding the objective of a meeting helps attendees come ready to dive in once the meeting starts and stay on track when in session, maximizing the time spent together. After the meeting is complete, the ability to achieve the objective or hit goals leaves attendees with a feeling of accomplishment.
Maximizing attendees’ time together will inevitably increase the likelihood of achieving the goals set out. As the meeting planner, this means you’ll consistently be producing well-prepared meetings that hit goals and make an impact on the business — demonstrating the importance of these meetings to company stakeholders, and showcasing your ability to plan them effectively.
Further, a defined objective also helps with the planning of the meeting. Finding a meeting venue with the right atmosphere, making sure you have the right attendees in the room, and creating an agenda that prioritizes the most important discussions first, are all details that can be streamlined with a clear objective set. Post meeting, it can help make retrospectives and post-mortems efficient and easy to conduct.