Making Meetings Shorter

wǒmen我们bùmén部门yǐqián以前měi每zhōu周yī一dōu都yào要kāi开hěn很zhǎng长de的huìyì会议。

Our department used to hold a long meeting every Monday.

dàjiā大家lúnliú轮流jièshào介绍gōngzuò工作，kěshì可是chángcháng常常shuō说wán完cái才fāxiàn发现shíjiān时间yǐjīng已经bùgòu不够le了。

Everyone took turns describing their work, but we often ran out of time before getting to anything else.

zhēnzhèng真正xūyào需要tǎolùn讨论de的wèntí问题，zhǐhǎo只好liú留dào到xiàcì下次。

The issues that actually needed discussion had to wait until the next meeting.

hòulái后来，jīnglǐ经理qǐng请dàjiā大家tíqián提前yī一tiān天xiě写xià下gōngzuò工作jìnzhǎn进展。

Later, our manager asked everyone to write down their progress a day in advance.

huìyì会议kāishǐ开始qián前，měi每gèrén个人dōu都kěyǐ可以dú读yī一biàn遍zhèxiē这些nèiróng内容。

Everyone could read these updates before the meeting started.

wǒmen我们hái还guīdìng规定，měi每cì次zhǐ只tǎolùn讨论sān三gè个zuì最zhòngyào重要de的wèntí问题。

We also agreed to discuss only the three most important issues each time.

dì第yī一cì次zhèyàng这样kāihuì开会shí时，yǒurén有人dānxīn担心zìjǐ自己de的gōngzuò工作bù不bèi被zhòngshì重视。

At the first meeting with this format, some people worried their work would receive less attention.

jīnglǐ经理jiěshì解释，tíqián提前xiě写xiàlai下来de的xìnxī信息yě也huì会rènzhēn认真kàn看。

The manager explained that the written updates would be read carefully too.

tǎolùn讨论jiéshù结束hòu后，wǒmen我们bǎ把juédìng决定、fùzérén负责人hé和wánchéng完成shíjiān时间jìlù记录xiàlai下来。

After the discussion, we recorded the decisions, the people responsible and the deadlines.

zhèyàng这样，xiàcì下次jiù就bùbì不必chóngxīn重新tǎolùn讨论tóngyī同一jiàn件shì事。

That way, we did not need to discuss the same matters again at the next meeting.

yī一gè个yuè月hòu后，huìyì会议shíjiān时间jiǎnshǎo减少le了，gōngzuò工作ānpái安排què却gèng更qīngchu清楚le了。

After a month, meetings were shorter and work plans were clearer.

wǒ我fāxiàn发现，tígāo提高xiàolǜ效率yǒu有shí时bù不shì是shuō说de得gèng更kuài快，érshì而是xiān先xiǎng想qīngchu清楚shénme什么zhíde值得yīqǐ一起tǎolùn讨论。

I realised that efficiency sometimes comes from deciding what is worth discussing together, rather than from speaking faster.