Meetings are a fact of business life, but most of them are frustrating and time-consuming. The results are rarely worth the time and effort of the many people involved. Yet meetings are a sensible way to handle many kinds of discussions, problem-solving sessions, presentations, and general updates on what’s happening.

If you learn to plan, structure, and participate in meetings effectively, you will be able improve your own time management and productivity as well as that of other participants.

For a meeting to be effective, the preparation must start long before it ever starts. You first have to determine the purpose of the meeting. The best way to do this is by writing down the purpose of the meeting in one clear sentence, and the expected outcome in another. For example, “To decide on a marketing plan and determine the implementation responsibilities for everyone in the group. To be completed by September 30th.

Once you have determined the purpose you need to consider the other available communication media that are available to you for that purpose. For example, could you address the issue or solve the problem by communicating by e-mail? So much valuable and productive time is wasted by having meetings on things that could be effectively dealt with by other forms of communication.

If you must have a meeting, first select the participants based on their abilities to contribute to and profit from the meeting. If participation is important, and it usually is, limit the number of participants to five or six. It’s difficult for a dozen or more people to participate effectively in a discussion.

Prepare a draft agenda. List the items the meeting can usefully discuss, and the times allotted to each topic. Then circulate this draft agenda to the participants, and set a firm return date for their comments.

Once you’ve received all the comments back from the participants, prepare the firm agenda. Include the topics to be discussed, the date, time, place of the meeting, a list of participants and their functions, and how messages will be delivered to the participants during breaks in the meeting.

You should then arrange the logistics of the meeting, such as the room, any necessary audio-visual support that is needed, and the amenities such as, pencils, notepaper, water, and coffee breaks. Always prepare sufficient copies of any documents to be used at the meeting. If the flow of the meeting would smoothed by an advance reading of certain documents, then make sure you send them to the participants prior to the meeting.

Select a meeting leader. If it is going to be someone other than yourself select that person based on his or her ability to make the meeting work. Always select someone to take notes. And it is always a good idea to prepare an attendance sheet, not to record who is late or absent, but rather to help the note taker prepare the meeting minutes.

Once you have all the preparation in place for the meeting, start it on time. The people who are on time deserve this courtesy. When you start the meeting on time you are sending a message to all the participants that this will be an orderly meeting which deserves their listening attention.

The leader of the meeting should start off with an orientation speech lasting three to five minutes. This should serve as the foundation for the entire meeting. It also orients the participants on the procedures of the meeting, provides an information base, and reaches clear agreement on how the meeting should proceed.

After the orientation speech the meeting leader should review the agenda and reinforce the purpose of the meeting. It’s alright to modify the agenda if any last-minute developments have to be taken care of. As the leader moves into consideration of the agenda items, he or she should summarize and note any action items or agreements. A good leader should always keep his or her eye on the clock and match the meeting’s pace with the time available. If people know that the meeting will start and end on time, they won’t be distracted by worry that the meeting will run overtime.

The person leading the meeting is crucial to the success of any meeting. A strong meeting leader or chairperson is a person who can adapt leadership styles to different groups, members, and tasks. A poor leader is the person who uses only one role, usually authoritarian, when the group expects another.

The role of any meeting leader is closely linked to the purpose of the meeting. For example, a meeting to inform subordinates of a decision calls for one approach whereas a meeting to gain the commitment of employees to carry out a decision made by upper management would require a completely different approach.

To be an effective the leader of any meeting the leader must consider all the participants as equals. He or she must respect each person for having information and judgment at least equal to and often superior to his or hers. And it is this attitude from the leader that will set the appropriate tone for the meeting.

Effective meeting leaders recognize that dissent is essential. They make it a plan that disagreement and constructive criticism are encouraged and expected in any group deliberations. It is the only way to achieve free and open participation in decision-making. This is why it is very important that the leader makes absolutely clear the role of each participant in the decision-making prior to the meeting.

A meeting cannot be successful and productive without active participation from everyone involved. As a participant, you should always prepare for the meeting, and then have something to offer. You should be prepared to influence the group effectively and manage conflict if it arises. If you haven’t received an agenda prior to the meeting, ask the meeting leader or chairperson for one.

Conduct research into topics or problems that will be discussed so that you can offer stimulating, well-grounded views. If you’re strongly involved in the topic or problem, try to sell your ideas in advance to the other participants.

To really enhance your contributions to the meeting you first have to organize them. Think before you speak. If what you’re going to say is complicated, rehearse it before the meeting. Make one point at a time. Speak clearly and forcefully, offering strong factual support for each point rather than vague statements.

Listen to the discussion among the participants. Then speak when your contribution is relevant. When you do speak, talk for only thirty to sixty seconds but do it a way that is both fluent and forceful. And limit yourself to good ideas. Don’t feel you have to respond to every point mentioned. If the conversation has moved past your point, don’t try to backtrack. And when your are listening, monitor your non-verbal signals. Facial expressions can speak volumes. So can yawns and doodling.

Once the meeting has finished, make sure the minutes are promptly prepared. It’s important to understand that the minutes are not a transcript. They should be concise, giving the meeting date, time, place, and purpose. The minutes should also have the names of the participants, any conclusions, agreements, action items, assignments, and any open items. They should not be a summary of the discussions or point out who said what and who disagreed with whom.

Once the meeting is finished every participant including the leader should review the meeting in his or her own mind. And every participant should ask himself or herself, “What did I learn that would be useful in planning, conducting, and following up other meetings?

Copyright©2005 by Joe Love and JLM & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.

Joe Love draws on his 25 years of experience helping both individuals and companies build their businesses, increase profits, and achieve total success. He is the founder and CEO of JLM & Associates, a consulting and training organization, specializing in personal and business development. Through his seminars and lectures, Joe Love addresses thousands of men and women each year, including the executives and staffs of many of America’s largest corporations, on the subjects of leadership, self-esteem, goals, achievement, and success psychology.

Reach Joe at: [email protected]

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