Meetings are part of ministry. Whether it’s staff meetings, board meetings, one-on-one meetings with team members, or strategic off-site meetings, such appointments can quickly fill up the calendar.

Unfortunately, some of those meetings are a waste of time. They may be poorly led, drag on and on, and produce little impact. The reason is often a lack of planning and preparation.

Proverbs 6:6–8 says, “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.” In other words, preparation pays off.

To make the most of your meetings, keep five things in view before and during your time together:

1. Why: Clarify your purpose and outcomes. It’s easy to get in the habit of meeting while losing the purpose behind the meeting. If the purpose isn’t clear, the meeting shouldn’t happen. Ask yourself, What outcome do I hope to achieve with this meeting? Can I achieve it just as effectively without a meeting?

Clarifying your purpose and outcomes will help ensure the meeting is worth everybody’s time.

2. Who: Invite the right people. If your team is small, you may be tempted to include everyone in every meeting. After all, you don’t want anyone to feel left out. But practically, this wastes time.

In fact, if you want to do a quick check on the value of your meetings, calculate the hourly rate of your employees, and then multiply that by the number of hours they spend in meetings each week. Is the value of those meetings worth the weekly investments of time and money?

To determine which people belong in the meeting, ask yourself, Who are the key decision makers on this topic? Who will have the most to contribute to the subject? Who will the outcome of the discussion most impact?

Another factor to consider is the size of the group. Large group meetings immediately limit the amount of discussion you’re able to facilitate. In general, three to seven people is a good number for a meeting where decisions are being made. Larger meetings tend to go long or become sidelined by rabbit trails and irrelevant issues.

Clarifying your purpose and outcomes will help ensure the meeting is worth everybody’s time.

3. What: Define the agenda. As you’re creating an agenda, consider what needs to be included in light of the purpose and goals for the meeting. If your purpose and agenda are out of alignment, there will be a disconnect between why you gather and what you discuss.

Also consider what on the agenda is relevant to everyone in the meeting. If you’re meeting with five people, but some items on the list are relevant only to two of them, streamline the agenda. Deal with the other items in a smaller meeting or through an email or phone call.

4. When: Determine the time, length and location. It may seem obvious, but these details can make a difference. For example, are you allocating too much time to certain agenda items in your meeting? Do you need to shorten or extend your meeting based on what you’re aiming to accomplish? Defining start and end times helps you stay on track. You might even assign a timekeeper.

Something else to consider is a change of scenery. We normally have staff meetings in our conference room, but sometimes we’ll change it up and meet over breakfast at a local restaurant. We’ve also done prayer walks during staff meetings. A change of scenery can bring fresh energy to the meeting.

5. How: Facilitate a good meeting, and determine next steps. You can do everything necessary to prepare for a meeting, but if you don’t facilitate the meeting well, you’ll undermine all your efforts.

One thing to consider is implementing ground rules for your meeting. For example, arrive on time; don’t check emails, texts, or social media; avoid side discussions; be courteous; and engage in the meeting.

As you lead the meeting, set the pace. Keep things progressing, but allow time for discussion. This is a balancing act that requires simultaneously reading the room and watching the clock.

Wisely manage conflict during the meeting. Healthy conflict allows for lively discussion that drives you to better outcomes. But if the discussion gets heated and someone steps out of line, your job as the leader is to call it out. Failing to address bad behavior sends the wrong message to the rest of the team.

Finally, end the meeting with next steps. If decisions were made in the meeting, determine who has to do what by when — before you leave the room. Without next steps, the meeting may have been a waste of time.

Maximizing your meetings doesn’t take a lot of extra time, but it does require intentionality.