Click to Listen

Much of what gets accomplished in business happens through face-to-face meetings, videoconferences or teleconferences.  Meetings occupy a significant part of most people’s day.  When they’re well organized and well run, they’re a powerful tool for communication and decision-making.  When they’re disorganized or poorly managed, they can be a disastrous waste of resources.

It may be time to do a checkup on your meetings – the small and informal sessions, as well as the large and more formal – and identify ways you can improve their effectiveness, as an organizer and attendee.

Here are some highlights to keep in mind when you’re the meeting organizer:

• Determine the meeting’s purpose, expected outcome and develop the agenda.
• Develop the attendee’s list with consideration for each person contribution – their reason for being there.
• Arrange time, place, equipment, refreshments
• Publish meeting’s purpose, expected outcome, agenda, & logistics to attendees.
• Begin and end on time.
• If appropriate, agree on decision making criteria to be used
• Step thru the agenda systematically.
• Summarize agreements and action items at the conclusion of each agenda item.
• Ask the group for feedback on what worked well and suggestions for improvement, going forward.
• Follow-up with documentation, as appropriate.
• Follow-through on agreements and action items.

If you’re a meeting attendee, remember, you play a big role in making the meeting a success, too.