How To Manage A Successful Meeting?

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It depends on the host of the meeting to manage it effectively so that the outcome of the meeting meets his expectations. Conducting effective meetings is an art and not all of us are good at this. At times it is very difficult to interrupt in between even if people are going off track. But in the interest of your and others’ valuable time, one is bound to do so. Choose the correct set of words like and try to wrap it effectively with the desired outcome.

Few tips for conducting a meeting

  • Start and end on time.
  • Ask participants to turn off mobiles or put them to silence for the duration of the meeting.
  • Send minutes within 24 hours of the meeting.
  • Confirm actions and owners before the meeting ends.
  • Manage the meeting in the proper way
  • Respect the right of all express their point of view and avoid favoritism
  • Establish and clearly communicate objectives and outcomes to focus your participants and clarify what’s in and out of scope.
  • Identify appropriate participants and invite key stakeholders, decision-makers, and influencers when making cross-functional decisions that impact organization-wide processes.
  • Create a relevant agenda as people may come with their own agenda so clearly define the list of topics that need to be covered in the meeting.
  • Schedule the meeting in advance as at times people receive a calendar invite for a meeting only 30 minutes prior to the meeting. If it’s not an emergency, give your attendees’ time to pick a time that works best for them. It can help to set a positive tone for your meeting.
  • Ensure that you have provided relevant background information in advance, with the participants so that they can come prepared. In case of any specific questions to be discussed in the meeting, send it beforehand, to save time. Ask participants to be prepared to talk about their answers.
  • Confirm your distribution list includes all intended participants as any miss-out can be very harmful to the host. Forgetting a high-powered executive could mean that all the prepared work for your meeting was wasted because they’re not available at the time you wanted.
  • Follow up the day the invite goes out personally with key stakeholders to ensure that they received the invite. If possible call the key participants. That way in case of any doubt or reluctance, you can provide additional insight or background.
  • Remind participants to come prepared with bullet points on a writing pad, as it is human nature to forget things. A gentle reminder regarding the meeting agenda and actionable can really be very helpful.
  • Confirm all participants have accepted the meeting invite and that key stakeholders or co-presenters have reviewed all relevant materials and printed any necessary documentation. Go through your presentation and spend some time with your team ask them about the common or obvious questions, so that you’re prepared to answer them. Lastly, don’t forget to check that hardware and technology of the meeting room is working like computer, projector, network lines, etc. Align an IT guy in advance in case of any of these not functioning. You’ve worked hard to prepare for a successful meeting, so make sure it meets your expectations.

If you follow these tips religiously and prepare for the same well in advance by setting the meeting goals, breaking these goals down into discreet steps, prioritizing – focusing on urgent and important tasks. Ensure to establish the accountability and accomplishment date of all the task discussed in the meeting

About Aditi Malhotra

Aditi Malhotra is the Content Marketing Manager at Whizlabs. Having a Master in Journalism and Mass Communication, she helps businesses stop playing around with Content Marketing and start seeing tangible ROI. A writer by day and a reader by night, she is a fine blend of both reality and fantasy. Apart from her professional commitments, she is also endearing to publish a book authored by her very soon.

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