How to Conduct A successful meeting in 5 ways

Nothing is as terrible as going to a meeting which turns out to be a waste of time. A successful meeting does not need much just a few things that will make it successful.

1. Agenda is always needed

People will find it hard to start a meeting where there is no agenda. An agenda is more than just a paper it is the road to the destination. Imagine preparing for a journey and not having the route to use. The end result can be confusion as one may take any direction. Imagine in the worst case scenario there are no roads, in the end people will just make up different roads. An agenda enables the following

• Clarity
• Route mapping of where one wants to go
• A point of revision on what has been achieved
• A point of reference during the meeting

If there is no agenda then there should be no meeting taking place. That should be a rule for any meeting.

2. Minute Taking

If there are no minutes then that meeting can be past memory which becomes fuzzy with time. In the near future people can actually forget what was being discussed and the resolutions which were made. Minutes are always necessary as they can be handy in legal actions or as a form of reference. Some people tend to shy away from minute taking as they think that it is too formal, however there is no substitute for minutes for any meeting. Good minutes have the following characteristics

• Eligible and can be understood
• Signed off
• Dated and they state the meeting agenda
• Note who was present
• Notes who said what

3. Timeline

Everything has a beginning and an end, the absence of a start time and an ending time can result in very long meetings which if coupled by the lack of an agenda can become one of those meetings people look for excuses not to attend. A timeline should be very specific and adhered to. A good timeline has the following characteristics

• Clear beginning and ending, no generalization
• Does not result in people losing concentration
• Allows for people to get there in time
• Allows for people to leave the meeting in good time

4. A good venue

For a meeting to make sense people must have places to occupy that they are comfortable with. The meeting must occur where there are no disturbances. If one has to then stick a sign on the door stating “Meeting”, then you must do that. Imagine you are having a sensitive subject discussion and people keep popping their heads in and out such that the flow of the meeting can never be consistent. A good venue has the following characteristics

• Is closed off from disturbances
• Is comfortable for discussions
• Is accessible to all members

5. A good Chairperson

A meeting with no chairperson is like a bus with no driver. The passengers will just come, sit and anything can happen, the bus can go anyway using any route. The meeting just does not need a chairperson; it needs a good chairperson who can drive the meeting in the right direction. A good chairperson has the following characteristics

• Lets the meeting flow
• Knows when to stamp their authority
• Ensures the agenda is achieved
• Does not let people bully others in the meeting
• Keeps to the scheduled time of the meeting
• Does not dominate the meeting

If the chairperson does not know how to do any of these things then that meeting is in danger.