Before the Meeting to Ensure Effective Meetings

First of all, make sure you need a meeting, because time is money. Then, as Stephen Covey says in the Seven Habits of Highly Effective people, "Begin with the end in mind." Determine the meeting focus, the agenda, and participants. Then, ensure that a meeting is the appropriate vehicle for accomplishing the set goals, say, if the meeting is to solve the problem make sure you are going to improve the process, or have a few plans to discuss that are viable options.

Additionally you will want to make sure the key people will attend. If a delegate attends in the place of a crucial decision maker, make sure this designated staff member has the authority to make decisions. You may find that you can accomplish the meeting goals with an email and a few pictures then you are not going to cater a lunch, fly people in, reserve a conference rooms and projectors, and tune in audio video conference calls for key people to tune in if it's not really absolutely a major issue.

48 hrs. or so before everyone should be on the same page of what will be discussed at the meeting. This gives everyone time to think of ideas to come up with to be more productive at the meeting. So pre-work, charts, graphs, and reading material should have been a "to done" at least 48 hrs. before a meeting in order to produce successful results. Documentation includes reports; data and charts; competitive information, sales month-to-date, and production plans; Microsoft PowerPoint ; trends, slides that illustrate key discussion points; and minutes, notes and follow-up from earlier or related meetings and projects. A few notes inserted reminding everyone about the key points to think of builds enthusiasm for the topic, generates commitment and I think motivates participants in preparation for the meeting.

Having a dynamic meeting facilitator is important, because it sets a positive, productive tone for interaction among the meeting participants. Start with an introduction of the SME speakers, a review of the goals, anticipated outcomes, and the agenda. The facilitator helps group members stay focused and productive.

Use the pre work materials and other audio visual tools to reinforce topics and solutions material that is integral to accomplishing the desired results. This also is a testimony to your team's solid preparation and leadership.

Participants should be involved in action. The meeting facilitator transfers the dynamics to the participants. This ensures that each participant is invested in the topic of the meeting and in the follow-up plan which will be discussed at length during the meeting. Make a follow-up plan with action items.

Identify and engage the persons that will "own" the accomplishment of the action item, the due date of the action item, an agreement about what constitutes completion of the action item. Role play real life scenarios to confront any barriers to success that team members may experience as they try to accomplish the items that will produce the required results.

Give a time limit and set a date for your next meeting while participants are in attendance to hold accountable the key people to that next meeting.

The actions following the meeting are crucial. Beginning by making sure the minutes are published no less than 24 hrs. after the meeting.