Running a Productive Meeting

If the task of running a meeting falls on you, there are a few things to ensure its straightforward with little to no complications.

Have an Agenda: Have an agenda ready to ensure your meeting runs with ease, even if it’s just having a brief outline of what needs to be discussed. Not only is this a helpful way for you to stay on track, but it will also allow those in attendance to follow along, so having agendas printed and ready to hand out is very important. Agendas should also be sent out in advance (if possible) to allow attendees to prepare for the meeting.

Stay on Track: As the one in charge of the meeting, it is up to you to monitor the discussion between attendees. This includes making sure that the discussion does not go too far off topic and stays productive. When the conversation seems to become a discussion off topic, give it a minute or two before making the executive decision to move on. If a point is brought up that needs more attention, note it and come back to it at the end if there is time.

Encourage Attendees to Disconnect: To ensure maximum productivity during the meeting, encourage attendees to stay off their laptops and cellphones. Provide your attendees with any information they need on paper, or advise them to have materials printed so they won’t have to access them digitally.

Take Notes: Note taking is important while running a meeting so that you can keep track of questions, decisions, assignments, talking points for future and other action items. Depending on the size of your meeting, appoint someone to take the notes for you. This makes it easier when sending out a meeting summary email to those who attended.

Plan Meals Accordingly: If you schedule a meeting during lunch hours, plan on providing catering, or make sure attendees know to bring lunch. If neither of those options seem suitable and the meeting will be an all-day one, make sure to schedule a break for food on the agenda.

Follow Up Post-Meeting: As mentioned earlier, it is beneficial to send out a summary email after the meeting, recapping what was discussed. This allows for feedback, and also holds attendees accountable for any action items or decisions that need to be made. Take this opportunity to confirm any tasks or assignments that were taken on by team members.