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At the end of this program, you will be able to recognise the

characteristics of a good meeting and discuss techniques

to prepare for, structure and control meetings to make

them more effective.

1. Meetings, if run effectively, are essential to managerial

and operational decision-making.

2. Meetings spark new ideas and initiatives, defuse

conflicts, solve problems and improve collaboration.

3. In order to organise effective meetings you must:

• Plan

• Inform

• Prepare

• Structure and control

• Summarise and record

4. Only meet if you need to. Before arranging a meeting,

ask yourself:

• Why am I holding the meeting?

• Is there another way to handle the matter?

• Can you streamline a meeting or your involvement in

it?

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5. To be able to take informed decisions at a meeting:

• Make sure the right people are there

• Make sure all the necessary information is there

6. Your Agenda should be a brief that everyone can work from. The Agenda must make it clear:

• Why you are meeting and what you will be talking about

• What the purpose of the discussion is

7. When deciding the order of items on the agenda think

carefully:

• Is it urgent or is it important?

• Deal with urgent items first

• Urgent items require a decision that day

• Set time limits to urgent items

• Important items require longer discussion

• Look for connections • Order items logically

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8. Meetings go out of control if the chair does not:

• Control the subject discussed

• Control the people discussing it

9. In order to keep the discussion structured:

• State the proposition

• Produce the evidence

• Debate what the evidence proves

• Come to a conclusion

• Decide what action to take

10. Record action points as well as the main arguments to

avoid going over old ground in later meetings as this:

• Helps make sure everyone understands

• Confirms responsibility for action points

• Creates a sense of achievement

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11. Minutes should include:

• Time, date, place, and chair

• Those present, those absent

• Agenda items discussed, and decisions

• Person responsible for action point

• Time meeting ended

• Date, time, and place of next meeting

At the end of this program, you will also be able to

• Identify specific strengths and weaknesses of your

own meetings.

• Devise an action plan to improve your ability to

run effective meetings.

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