Ten Tips for
Successful Meetings
-- by Jim M. Allen, http://www.coachjim.com/articles
-- http://www.redtienda.com/english/newsletter85.htm#11. Ask yourself if
a meeting is really necessary.
Often the
same things can be accomplished via phone,
e-mail, etc. Use your office technology to its
fullest potential.
2. Pick a
leader.
If it's
not you, pick someone to lead the meeting.
Somebody has to be in charge of the meeting to
ensure that it accomplishes what it's meant to
accomplish. Decide this up front.
3. Have a
plan.
Create an
agenda for the meeting and distribute it, in
advance, to everyone who will be attending. Ask
them to provide you with any changes or additions
to the agenda in advance.
4. Pick
an appropriate time.
Too early
in the morning and you risk people being late
because of traffic. Too close to lunch and
they're thinking of food. Too close to the end of
the day and they're thinking of going home. Find
that "just right" time, normally in the
mid-mornings/afternoons.
5. Have
the meeting in an easy-to-find location.
Pick a
"common ground" for most of the
attendees. If a meeting will be held off-site or
involves getting clients to your location,
provide clear, concise directions.
6. Follow
the plan.
You've
got an agenda, everyone at the meeting has seen
it, so stick to it. If it's not appropriate for
the meeting, table it for another time.
7. Stay
focused.
Side
conversations or irrelevant topics will always
crop up, especially as the number of attendees
increases. Stay in control of the meeting and
keep everybody focused on what you're trying to
to do.
8. Create
a "parking lot" for other issues.
Some
issues, while not appropriate to your specific
meeting, do need to be dealt with. When these
issues come up, take note of them and handle them
after the meeting.
9. End on
time.
Never let
a meeting run long. Again, stick to your original
plan. If you find you can't get everything done,
schedule another meeting. If you don't finish on
time it's either because you didn't stick to your
agenda (so why should the attendees suffer?) or
the issue really needs the extra time and
attention a second meeting will bring.
10.
Follow through.
There is
nothing as frustrating as sitting through a
meeting, debating issues, reaching conclusions
and making suggestions only to see absolutely
nothing come of it. Follow through with all
suggestions and recommendations (don't forget
your parking lot issues). Let people know that
what was produced in the meeting was, indeed
valuable, and worth their taking the time to
attend.
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