The next time you are asked to run a meeting, here are five things that when you do them in advance of the meeting, will help assure that your meeting will be more productive, efficient and appreciated by those in attendance.
- Communicate the time and place well in advance of meeting. Make sure it is detailed enough so that people don’t show up on the wrong floor, or in the wrong building. Use Outlook Calendar or a similar service that allows the recipients to schedule their own reminders. This maximizes attendance.
- Distribute the agenda before the meeting. This helps people know not only what to expect and prepare for, but enables them to collect materials that may be useful.
- Provide participants an opportunity to contribute to the agenda. This creates interest, buy-in, and shows respect. This should be done at least 24 hours before the meeting, and more, if possible.
- Include committee reports or updates with the agenda. Many items are not subjects that need to be discussed. Instead, they are informational, and help all attendees be on the same page understanding the latest developments or updates. It saves the necessity of using valuable time to update people in the meeting.
- Distribute information relating to the issues to be discussed at the meeting along with the agenda. This allows participants to prepare properly, and saves time at the meeting.
This type of advance organization can make your meetings run shorter, with more impactful results. And if you want extra credit, send all of this information at one time, and in one logical document!
These and other tips are in our free assessment of your “meeting prowess.” Click here to take the survey.
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