How to Run a Successful Meeting
In the corporate world, meetings are an unavoidable part of life. You need meetings to bring important parties together, define the scope of projects, brainstorm ideas, solve problems and allocate tasks. Getting people together to talk in person is more effective than attempting to distil meaning through email or telephone. But all too-often meetings can take up valuable time with arguments, off topic conversation, tangents and conflicts of interest arising that can derail hours of time better spent on getting the project finished. To avoid this situation, its imperative you learn to run a successful meeting.
A successful meeting begins with mapping priorities and desired outcomes. You shouldn't have a meeting for the sake of having a meeting – so each meeting needs a clearly-defined purpose and a goal to achieve by the end.
Plan your agenda in advance, and beside each item, write the desired outcome – do you want to discuss, brainstorm, give information, get feedback, come to a decision or agree on a decision. This gives each item an aim and helps steer discussion around items that need to be discussed.
Circulate an agenda prior to the meeting, and ask participants to add matters they wish to discuss – that way, you can weed out any matters that don't relate to the meeting's purpose and eliminate an "any other business?" portion of the agenda, that can give rise to all manner of unrelated topics.
When planning your meeting function room and time, think about the times of the day when people are most productive. After lunch people get drowsy, so don't schedule something boring – get people involved and interacting.
If you're hiring an offsite meeting venue, check they have all the equipment you need – PowerPoint slides, Internet access, lecterns, microphones, side-rooms for splinter groups, and disabled access. Schedule in plenty of breaks and remember people travelling long distance will need a 30 minute refreshment time at the beginning of the day to collect their thoughts.
With forward planning, careful assessment of your desired outcomes and a suitable meeting venue and time for all delegates, running a successful meeting couldn't be simpler.
A successful meeting begins with mapping priorities and desired outcomes. You shouldn't have a meeting for the sake of having a meeting – so each meeting needs a clearly-defined purpose and a goal to achieve by the end.
Plan your agenda in advance, and beside each item, write the desired outcome – do you want to discuss, brainstorm, give information, get feedback, come to a decision or agree on a decision. This gives each item an aim and helps steer discussion around items that need to be discussed.
Circulate an agenda prior to the meeting, and ask participants to add matters they wish to discuss – that way, you can weed out any matters that don't relate to the meeting's purpose and eliminate an "any other business?" portion of the agenda, that can give rise to all manner of unrelated topics.
When planning your meeting function room and time, think about the times of the day when people are most productive. After lunch people get drowsy, so don't schedule something boring – get people involved and interacting.
If you're hiring an offsite meeting venue, check they have all the equipment you need – PowerPoint slides, Internet access, lecterns, microphones, side-rooms for splinter groups, and disabled access. Schedule in plenty of breaks and remember people travelling long distance will need a 30 minute refreshment time at the beginning of the day to collect their thoughts.
With forward planning, careful assessment of your desired outcomes and a suitable meeting venue and time for all delegates, running a successful meeting couldn't be simpler.
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