Send to Kindle7 Tips For Leading Effective Meetings
There is little in the working world as distasteful as unproductive, poorly led meetings. It’s 
ironic that many of the most distasteful and unproductive meetings are led by the ones who complain the most about other’s meetings.
Meetings that people don’t find terribly onerous or wasteful are possible. Here are seven tips to start you on your journey to the meeting chair hall of fame.
1. Plan for the meeting and write an actual agenda. That seems simple enough, but is far too uncommon.
2. Once you have the agenda, publicize it. Let everyone know what you intend to accomplish. Of course once you’ve developed and published an agenda, follow it. If anyone else is expected to contribute, make sure they know what you expect them to provide.
3. Start the meeting on time. How many times have you had to cool your heels waiting for the meeting to start? Often the chair is waiting for people to arrive. If the meeting always starts on time, these latecomers will get the message.
4. End the meeting when you say you will. A one-hour meeting should last no more than, you guessed it, one hour. The one-hour meeting can be less than an hour, but no more. Time is valuable; not just yours, but everyone’s in the room.
5. Prepare the meeting room. Have you ever been to a meeting where there weren’t enough chairs, or the AV system hadn’t been warmed up? If you aren’t prepared, it will be impossible to follow step 3.
6. Have someone take minutes and make sure the minutes are distributed shortly after the meeting to remind everyone what the meeting accomplished.
7. Make sure any action items are assigned to someone with a definite completion date.
Meetings don’t have to be painful! To learn more including effective use of visual aids and tips for using electronic equipment for virtual meetings get Don’t Worry, You Can Do This! What New Supervisors and Managers Need to Know About Leadership.
