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In years past, I would have given a long list of convincing reasons why a “working lunch” equates to a “waste of time” and causes practically zero productivity, along with a high probability of low blood sugar  (especially for the people who do the most talking).

However, I digress, and digest, if you keep the group and the bites small; the conversation focused, you might just be surprised at the results.

Imagine a meeting where there aren’t any phone calls, bosses or other business to distract you. Only a waitress, who, get this, brings you whatever you need. I must warn you, this type of productivity comes at a cost, of course. At around ten dollars per person, which includes the tip, the experience will prove invaluable.

Here are some of my suggestions on how to make a working lunch work:

Stay close – we literally drove across the street to a place we all know and love.

Plan ahead – circulate the menu, encouraging attendees to make their selections before arriving and pre-order if possible.

Prepare an agenda – write a short, concise agenda of what will be covered (and stick to it).

Break it up – discuss a few things, break to eat, continue where you left off (finger foods and appetizers really help too).

Encourage everyone to contribute – this goes hand in hand with the pre-planning and agenda aspect. If the burden and flow of the meeting is shared by all, each person feels like a valuable attendee, thus are encouraged to be prepared, which helps ensure everyone gets to eat.

Make it fun – for those of us in the creative field who get to spend our days brainstorming and dreaming up new ideas, this is easy. For others, it might take some more work.

Designate a secretary – sounds so old fashioned, I realize this, but it’s important for one person to jot down the notes during the meeting and be in charge of distributing them to all attendees once the meeting has adjourned (note: the follow up should be timely to ensure the best outcome).

Leave with a plan – this step goes along with “timely follow up” and “give assignments”. It is essential that all attendees feel as though their time is valuable and the next steps are clearly defined.

Timely follow up – the secretary should compose a document that serves as a summary of the meeting (this should accompany a “Next Steps” document).

Delegate assignments – it is essential to deliver or execute on points made during the meeting or else it really will be nothing more than a waste of time.

Have faith in your employees’ and coworkers’ ability to work outside of the cube or conference room walls. It’s refreshing, and most importantly, productive. Now, get out there and place your order. You’ll be surprised what’s delivered.