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A Guide to Better Meetings
Why do we need to have so many meetings? Like it or not, meetings are necessary for decision-making, problem solving, communication, and team participation. Most companies couldn't function without them, so we should take deliberate steps to ensure that meetings are more effective, and a better use of everyone's time.
This newsletter is the first of two about meetings, how to plan, execute followup and make sure that your meetings don't send your colleagues running in the other direction.
Planning Your Meeting
Just like everything in good business, planning should be the first step. The key to holding good meetings is to spend more time preparing for the meeting, and making the best use of participants' time. Think about and answer these basic questions carefully and you’ll be well on your way to a good meeting.
- Is a meeting really necessary?
- What is your objective?
- Who should attend?
- What is the agenda?
- Who will run the meeting?
- How long should the meeting be?
Running a Great Meeting
Now that you've got a great plan in place, you have some basic obligations to ensure that your meeting runs smoothly:
- Be prepared
- Start and finish on time
- Open with your objective and finish with your actions
- Stick to the agenda
- Actively manage your meeting
- Encourage participation
- Keep track of key items
- Follow up the action items
The way meetings are conducted is actually a key part of a company's culture. Changing culture takes a lot more that just issuing a policy. There needs to be a general sense that poor meetings are not good for business and a commitment to change, at all levels of the organization.
In the next issue we will talk about the responsibilities of the meeting participants, another of the necessary components for running a successful meeting.
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