More than a quarter of the time spent in meetings is unproductive, according to a recent survey by Robert Half Management Resources. The most common reasons for this inefficiency are that respondents feel leaders don’t have a clear purpose for the meetings and they are not following the agenda they set.

If team members think their time is being wasted, they won’t want to participate, says April-Lynn Levitt, a Toronto-based practice management coach with The Personal Coach.

The key is to establish a routine. “If a team can get into the practice of weekly meetings,” Levitt says, “it solves a lot of communication problems.”

Here are four ways to cultivate more constructive weekly meetings:

1. Pick a suitable time and stick to it
Choose a day of the week on which people are going to feel focused. Avoid Mondays because long weekends can interfere with scheduling. And stay away from Fridays because team members may be more fixated on the weekend.

“My favourite time is Tuesday morning at 9:00,” Levitt says. “It’s morning, so people are more likely to be productive.”

Whichever day and time you choose, make sure everyone assigns the weekly meeting in their calendar for the rest of the year.

2. Follow an agenda
Document the topics you will be covering in each meeting. Areas you can cover are special projects, issues with clients and marketing updates. Being able to cover every topic in the time assigned to the meeting will help team members feel that it is a useful way to spend some of their office time.

The person chairing the meeting will be responsible for ensuring that everyone stays on track during the meeting and is contributing.

Also, allot an hour for each meeting, Levitt says, but don’t use the full sixty minutes every time.

3. Make participants accountable for post-meeting tasks
There is nothing like giving “homework” to keep team members alert and focused on what is being discussed.

Levitt knows one advisor who assigns three tasks to each team member at the end of meetings; these tasks are to be completed prior to the team’s next gathering.

However, this strategy will work only if you ask staff about the tasks’ completion at the next meeting. If your team doesn’t feel that you’ll check up, they won’t necessarily follow through.

4. Indulge in fun meetings
These team sessions don’t always have to take place in the office in order to be productive. Changing the location or introducing an entertaining activity in addition to your more formal topics can be a benefit.

“It just keeps things interesting,” says Levitt, “and you might get people’s minds going in a different way.”

For example, why not grab some iced coffees and meet in a park on a warm day? You can still follow your agenda but your staff will probably appreciate the fresh air. The less formal setting may also inspire unique ideas, such as outdoor activities for client-appreciation events.