Oprah Winfrey starts every meeting with these same 3 sentences

Oprah Winfrey departures every meeting with these saatkorn 3 sentencesOprah Winfrey starts every meeting with these same 3 sentencesKicking off meetings can beawkward- there might be chit-chat among colleagues about totally irrelevant topics since theyre all finally in the same space, and there are almost always stragglers and those who forget to call in well past the five-minute grace period. Somebody will probablyforgettoread the meeting agenda, someone will sit down anxiously in a rush back out there door and someone else will likely forgettheir notepad.Even after the meeting finally commences,nine out of 10 peoplewill daydream during it and73 percentof people will work on other things during it.Thats why Oprah Winfrey kicks off every meeting with the same three questions to get everyone engaged and to set clear intentions What is our intention for this meeting?Whats important? What matters?Brendon Burchard, author ofHigh Performance Habits How Extraordinary People Become That Wa y, says Oprah starts every meeting with those questions because high performers seek clarity. Clarity isnt something high performersgetbut, rather, its something theyseek, Burchard explains. Thats why they consistently ask themselves the following four questionsSelfHow do you want to describe your ideal self?SkillsWhat skills do you want to develop and demonstrate?SocialHow do you want to behave socially?ServiceWhat service do you want to provide?Asking themselves these questions helps them to refocus. Likewise, asking questions to start off a meeting helps attendees to refocus.In the US alone, Americans attend 11 million formal business meetings each day. That means that every meeting better be important, and the meeting agenda should be clear and simply stated. Select date for the campaignlaunch, for example. There shouldnt be any recap, review or discuss, according to Burchard.Following a detailed agenda and starting on time can reduce meeting times up to80percent. Thats importan t given that the time employees spend in meetings has risen around10 percenteach year, since 2000, which means that the average meeting length is between31 to 60 minutes.Though47 percent of Americans consider too many meetings the biggest waste of time, meetingscanbe necessary to advance a project or organization - so long as theyre constructive and intentional. If not, itdoesnt only affect the individuals involved, butwewaste$37 billionevery year on time that could have been better utilized.With Oprahs three questions, your next company meeting will be sure to result in decisions being made in an efficient manner.AnnaMarie Houlis is a multimedia journalist and an adventure aficionado with a keen cultural curiosity and an affinity for solotravel. Shes an editor by day and a travel blogger at HerReport.org by night.A version of this post previously appeared onFairygodboss, the largest career community that helps women get the inside scoop on pay, corporate culture, benefits, and wor k flexibility. Founded in 2015, Fairygodboss offers company ratings, job listings, discussion boards, and career advice.