Leading an Effective Meeting

How do I effectively lead a meeting?

Tutorial

The answer to this is simple. Have a plan and stick to it. By “have a plan,” I mean, create an agenda for the meeting. Know what needs to be covered, and allow time to cover it. If possible, distribute copies of the agenda ahead of time (maybe by email) so that the other participants in the meeting can add any agenda items they feel are necessary.

Schedule a meeting place ahead of time. Nothing is a bigger time waster than having all the participants assembled in the hallway for a meeting, only to realize all the conference rooms are already taken. Plan ahead.

If you are leading the meeting, bring copies of the up-to-date agenda for everyone. Leave space for notes at the bottom of the agenda page. Now, if you are leading this meeting, Lead It! It is your job to keep the conversation on track. But be careful not to run such a tight ship that there isn’t time for communication, collaboration, and sharing of ideas. Remember, there is a difference between an informing session and a meeting. If you want to inform the group of particular items, get them in a captive room and tell them. But if you want a working meeting, you must create an environment that encourages sharing and communication.

Communication is good; straying off track at every turn is not. It is up to you to know when to sidebar a topic for later discussion and to move on to the next agenda item.

The biggest thing in conducting an effective meeting is what comes out of it. Make sure to clearly define action items and assign names and deadlines to each. Having a meeting is just taking up time if you don’t do the follow up work.