Tips On How To Make Meetings Matter

Many companies hold endless meetings that do not make the most of their time and talent. I have put together some useful tips and ideas on how to manage successful problem solving and decision making meetings. Learn how to organize and run more effective meetings by just following these simple tips.

1. Plan

Cancel unnecessary meetings and evaluate what would happen if you didn't hold the meeting. Instead contact one key person who can give all the information that you need, use a conference call, a memo or electronic email instead. Most meetings can be better handled by a phone call or even a memo. You need to know exactly what the objective of every meeting is. Do call meetings to solve problems, establish goals, provide a service or make a product. Don't have a meeting just for the sake of it. Smaller meetings, where the group size does not exceed 12 will create increased opportunities for meaningful participation.

2. Prepare

Clearly define the purpose of the meeting, who should attend and where and when it will take place. Know what actions and decisions should result from the meeting and provide a clear agenda with a focus on major topics or issues. In the agenda stress opportunities instead of problems, the meeting objective, items to be discussed and by whom, the required preparation, who will be leading the meeting and who will be attending. Plan to run the meeting for an hour and a half, two hours at most. Few business meetings achieve much when they run longer than this. Each agenda item should have a specific amount of time allocated to it. Write your agenda up in simple terms and phrases, make sure it is precise, well organized and structured openly enough to invite participation.

3. Be Productive

Check that the meeting room is set up ahead of time to ensure that the meeting can begin on time. Arrive early to get things ready and double check that you have enough chairs, markers, flip charts, paper and pens etc. Use an open semicircle or a small circular arrangement to stimulate discussion. A long rectangular table can create a barrier between participants. Make sure there are no distractions and ask that all phone calls and messages be held until after the meeting. Someone should be responsible for recording clearly and concisely and legibly the major points of discussion and any conclusions that are reached. Keep the discussions on track and maintain a positive atmosphere.

4. Follow Up

Provide all the participants with a record of the meeting. Include the minutes, topic, time and date, length of the meeting, who the chair was, the participants, the key issues discussed, the decisions that were reached, the actions that will be taken and the people responsible for future actions. The meeting minutes should be distributed within 24 hours. Your meeting was a success if the right people attended, the agenda was covered, points of view were aired and understood, decisions were made and solutions were developed. So finally, if the result of the meeting was understanding, agreement, a sense of urgency, commitment, a plan of action and implementation then you have created a winning team.

Author Brian Norton is a highly respected and astute investor, property developer, agent,auctioneer and author, Brian Norton is a Highly respected public speaker and consultant, He is an industry expert and trainer and assessor, sign up for his soon to be released book "Dare to Dream" at http://benjimite.com or through the comments section on http://blog.realestate-profit.com.