Tips and Tricks to Run Effective Meetings

March 20th, 2014

Running a meeting can be a daunting task. When you’re in charge of running an effective meeting you will find that there are lots of things to think consider.

Never fear, MeetingBooster is here with a few tips and tricks to help you run effective meetings every time.

Before the Meeting:

1. State the purpose
2. Discuss goals and objectives of the meeting
3. Update attendees on events or changes
4. Engage and interact with attendees
5. Brainstorm ideas for the agenda
6. Develop the agenda and ask for suggestions
7. Send the agenda out well in advance
8. Round table meetings are more engaging than lecture style setups, have attendees face each other

During the Meeting:

1. Welcome attendees to the meeting and thank them
2. Be sure to start and end on time
3. Stick to the agenda, control the meeting and stay on track
4. Encourage group discussions for decision making
5. Stimulate feedback by asking for opinions and suggestions
6. Stay on topic, if a conversation strays, pull it back
7. Assign action items and schedule due dates
8. Take accurate minutes for review and archiving
9. Show appreciation for attendee involvement
10. State conclusion statements upon completion of topics
11. Make attendees aware of upcoming meetings

After the Meeting:

1. Send out meeting minutes in a timely manner
2. Address problems with executives and managers
3. Follow-up on decisions and tasks
4. Recognize attendee completion of action items
5. Move parked topics to the next agenda
6. Ask attendees what they would like to change or improve for the next meeting

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