How to Conduct An Effective Business Meeting

No one enjoys a long, pointless gathering, yet that is what most meetings are. You can be the talk of the office by accomplishing the near impossible: conducting a productive and short meeting. Follow these simple steps and do a little planning to accomplish everything you want during a meeting.

Pre-plan
With adequate plan, your meeting won’t just be effective, it will be enjoyed by your attendees. Pre-plan by determining who will be invited to the meeting, the purpose of the assembly, the topics to be covered and the information to be gathered and disseminated.

Make a specific goal for the conference
There must be a reason why you decided to schedule a meeting. This reason must be well articulated and established. You must establish an overriding end result for the meeting. The end goal could be a brainstorming session, a product roll-out or a planning session for a new service.

Write a precise agenda
For any business meeting, you must be able to detail the important facts; list the contact people, including the order of events and discussion and you should draft an action plan. A detailed agenda will allow the participants to have all the pertinent information at their fingertips and will keep the communication clear. If you find that the handout negates the need for the meeting, just email the handout and cancel the meeting.

Distribute the agenda beforehand
This is important because it gives room for necessary amendments before the meeting is held. You should encourage attendees to jot down specific questions and to bring supporting material if the agenda triggers something.

Welcome attendees
Welcome the attendees to the meeting and make sure everyone has their agenda in front of them. State the purpose of the meeting and the preset ending time. Make your attendees feel comfortable.

Start discussion without delay
Start the discussion immediately, quickly establishing a strong leadership role. Redirect the conversation promptly if it gets off course. Stay on track and quickly hit the highlights and address questions.

Get a separate time keeper
Have a separate time keeper keep the meeting on track. If there are three main points to discuss in an hour meeting, allot 20 minutes for each subject. Give a five-minute warning as the ending time approaches. Wrap up the discussion and make notes of actions or correspondence that need to be taken later.

Take notes
This is also important in any business meeting. You must take notes on the agenda sheet. Write down any objections, additional information needed to be gathered, contact information and actions items.

Summarise key points
Experts say it is vital for you to summarise the key points as the meeting ends. Give everyone action assignments, such as managing further discussion, research or data gathered. Break the meeting on time and thank everyone for their contributions.