Holding a successful meeting

Nowadays business people spend so much time in meetings that turning meeting time into effective results is a priority for successful organizations. Actions that make meetings successful require management before, during, and after the meeting.

What is done before the meeting is as important as the meeting itself. To ensure the only necessary points will be covered it’s necessary to create an agenda. An agenda is a list of items and points which are to be discussed during the meeting. When the agenda is ready it is usually distributed among everyone concerned. It is important to get feedback from the meeting participants about the proposed agenda. The organizers should also check the venue, making sure the room will be free, without interruptions, until the end of the meeting.

The person who will chair the meeting must be appointed in advance. The chairperson should be a good timekeeper. He should start a meeting on time, without waiting for latecomers. He should also appoint somebody to take the minutes, making sure that opinions and action points are noted. He should make sure that each point on the agenda is allocated the time it deserves and should keep to the timetable. When the time allocated to one point is up, the chairperson should make sure that discussion moves on to the next point, even if the issue has not been completely covered. The chairperson should make sure that each participant has the chance to make the point, and should deal tactfully with disagreements. He should also try to avoid digressions, where people get off the point. Finally, he should ensure the meeting finishes on time or earlier.

After some meetings it’s necessary for the minutes to be circulated, especially if there are action points that particular people are responsible for. At the next meeting the chairperson should ask for the minutes to be read out and see if everybody agrees that it is an accurate record of what happened, and see if there are any matters arising. He should also check what progress has been made on the action points from the previous meeting.

Organizing a meeting it’s necessary to remember that running an effective meeting is more than sending out a notice that your team is to meet at a particular time and place. Effective meetings need structure and order. Without these elements they can go on forever and not accomplish their goals. With a good agenda and a commitment to involving the meeting participants in the planning, preparation, and execution of the meeting, it is possible to hold a great meeting.