Effective Meetings

1. Effective Meetings Effective meetings can be a great springboard for brainstorming, information sharing, and creative ideas. When conducted properly, meetings are also a powerful management technique to boost productivity. In some cases though, poorly conducted meetings can become a drain on time and resources, as well as become an activity that increases hostility, apathy, and stifles new ideas. Fortunately, there are ways to keep meetings from deteriorating in this manner, and to ensure that they are a positive experience for all. Here's how to conduct effective meetings: Identify Your Purpose A meeting must be purposeful. Whether the objective is to make a decision, solve a problem, provide information, or promote team building, defining the objective ahead of time is crucial. Plan and Organize Make sure that all meeting participants understand its purpose, and the importance of their presence at the meeting. Distribute a draft meeting agenda, and ask for suggestions and comments from participants AA Meeting Directory. This will show that you are willing to involve others in the process. The agenda should outline each main topic and the desired outcomes. Key participants should be involved in certain activities and they should have the chance to prepare ahead of time for their roles in the process. Allocate a time guideline for each activity. The agenda should be clearly organized, but a certain amount of flexibility should be built into the meeting structure. The agenda serves as a guide, rather than a rigid control. This way, the meeting will be able to accommodate important issues or changes that may come up during the course of the meeting. Meeting Location Be sure to reserve a meeting space ahead of time, and ensure that there is plenty of seating, adequate lighting, and comfortable temperature and ventilation. Be aware that the seating arrangement can have a big impact on the effectiveness of the meeting. Avoid seating in rows, since this discourages participation. Instead, use circular seating, or small table clusters. In addition to encouraging participation, circle seating also provides a sense that each participant is equal. Materials

2. Make sure that you have enough copies of all materials, including handouts and agendas. If you will be presenting with visual aids, make sure your equipment is properly set up and that all participants can see the screen or board easily. Meeting Procedures Make sure to get started on time, and always welcome everyone to the meeting. Begin by summarizing the agenda and introducing key roles. Makes adjustments as needed, and try to gauge the energy level of the group. To improve a dull atmosphere, you may want to use some icebreakers. However, use them wisely so that you improve effectiveness instead of diminishing it. Click here for examples of meeting icebreakers. Make sure you are aware of the length of time you spend on each topic, as an overly long presentation can lose the interest of the audience. If you don't vary the style of your presentation, participants may have a hard time concentrating and may miss key information. If the meeting is lecture based, understand that participants' minds may begin to wander after about 20 minutes. Make the Meeting Participatory Create smaller "buzz groups" or sub groups out of the larger whole to evaluate and discuss one or two issues. This way, everyone has an opportunity to express an opinion and draw on the collective experience of others. Evaluate the Effectiveness of the Meeting Take the last five to ten minutes of the meeting for participants to evaluate the meeting and discuss what worked, what did not, and how the process can be improved upon. Someone should be assigned to take detailed notes. Ending the Meeting Always end a meeting on an upbeat note. This can be a short summary of the meeting highlights, an inspirational message, or a plan of action based on what was discussed at the meeting. Everyone should leave feeling that the meeting was beneficial and worth the time they spent there. Management Skills Advisor by Majlinda Priku is for managers who are looking to enhance their management skills and optimize their capacity with contemporary knowledge and techniques in management, problem solving techniques, Smart Goal Setting etc. The creator of [http://managementskillsadvisor.com] is an experienced manager, a leader and an expert coach in capacity building, business management and personal development.