How many times have you phoned someone to be told, "They're in a meeting!?" At least 60 per cent of manager's time is spent in meetings.

Research in one large organisation discovered that the figure could be as high as 90 per cent. And another survey found that many managers consider meetings they attend to be a waste of time. In fact, some managers say that - "meetings take minutes and waste hours."

If you are a manager or team leader then you will have to hold meetings; here are 4 steps to make them motivational:

1. Don't hold a meeting unless you really have to. Be really, really sure that the meeting is needed and that it has a clear objective. By the end of the meeting, however long it takes, the shorter the better; you have to be sure that you've achieved that objective.

2. Start the meeting on time; don't wait for anyone and don't go over what's been discussed for latecomers. Of course, you really shouldn't have latecomers and if you do, speak to them individually after the meeting and sort it out.

3. Have a structured agenda showing start time, breaks and finish time. Don't schedule meetings to start on the hour; say 1.20 rather 1 o'clock. And if it's a half day meeting, start in the afternoon rather than the morning; people will keep moving if they think they will be late leaving work. Ruthlessly stick to that agenda, don't allow people to ramble or talk about things not on the agenda. If you want to have chit-chat time - put it on the agenda! Keep people moving and even get them out the door before the finish time on the agenda.

4. Make meetings fun; supply snacks, drinks, fruit and chocolate. Start the meeting with a fun energiser game or a quiz. Let one of the team chair the meeting occasionally (as long as they control the agenda). Allow people to have a laugh; create energy and enthusiasm.

So there you have it; Motivational Managers run structured meetings with clear objectives where people have fun and resultantly contribute and get things done.

Alan Fairweather - The Motivation Doctor - is an International Speaker, Author and Business Development Expert. To receive your free newsletter and free ebooks, visit: www.themotivationdoctor.com