Don’t Monkey Around

Death by Meeting

1) Have an Agenda

Prepare an agenda and share it with everyone before the meeting is due to take place. Allow others to comment on the topics of discussion. Having an agenda keeps the meeting on track and keeps everybody on the same page when jumping from topic to topic. You should prepare your agenda in advance so you are better prepared for the meeting and follow the agenda in order to keep the team on track.

2) Make Documents Available Online

Meetings are prone to generating documents, handouts, graphs, budget analysis, etc. A few ways to make sure each team member has access to the documents is to upload them to your website, send them out via email or utilize cloud tools online for ease of access. Keeping your group up to date on current news, issues, etc. is an important part to communication within your group.

3) Meet Outside Meetings

Take advantage of other leaders in your group to assist you and be willing to accept suggestions. It is effective to meet with other leaders in your group to assist you with planning and implementing your project. This sub-committee could be helpful when directing and facilitating information and procedure to the rest of the group. It also let’s other leader’s in your team be appreciated and involved.

4) Start Quick, Finish on Time

It is important that you start and finish your meeting on time. This show’s respect for other people’s time and it will also make sure that you get the most discussion time possible from your allocated slot. Be mindful of which topics are top priority and those that aren’t in case you become pressed for time. Your job is to make sure the meeting runs smoothly and effectively while continuing to be productive. You must be flexible, too. Sometimes meetings follow the agenda but don’t go as planned, it is okay, just keep the enthusiasm and finish on time.

If there is a disruptive element that starts to delay the progress of the meeting, simply request that the issue be discussed privately after the meeting. Be sure to handle interruptions and difficult behavior quickly and professionally so it does not negatively impact your group’s objective.