#Meetings are a key part of any business.
They can be used in order to communicate, share ideas, and discuss important topics.
In order to ensure that meetings are effective, it is important to follow a step-by-step process that creates an agenda and ensures that all participants know what will be discussed beforehand.
- Plan ahead by identifying the purpose of the meeting and what the desired outcome is. This allows people who do not have anything to contribute or gain, to not attend, and spend time on their other tasks.
- Create an agenda and share it with invitees beforehand asking for their input about items they want to discuss. Not all items need to make the final agenda, and be sure to advise people of that and why.
- Set up a time and place for the meeting, as well as any materials/tools that will be needed.
- Send out invitations to all participants in advance so they know when, where, and why they are expected to attend.
- Start on time with an agenda that includes introductions and a discussion about what needs to be accomplished during the course of this meeting.
- Have a team check-in, ice-breaker or simply take a few minutes to breathe together.
- Start with a positive tone and focus on the points of what will be accomplished, rather than what needs to be avoided.
- Be prepared for your meeting so that if there are problems, you can avoid them before they cause issues.
- Be firm and remind individuals when they are straying from the agenda, or taking excessive time. Follow ups can always be done asynchronously, or carried forward to the next meeting.
- As a facilitator, be open to other ideas or suggestions that may contribute to the success of the meeting.
