Isn’t it dreadful to sit in – or actually lead – a meeting that’s gone astray? Well, you don’t have to sit back and yawn next time.
Here’s what you can do to keep things on track – whether you’re the leader or a participant.
Start everyone off on the right foot by doing a few things before you meet.
- Make an agenda with a set start- and end-time, topics to discuss and actions that must be taken. Send it to all participants the day before the meeting, and note items they need to be prepared to discuss.
- Arrange any food or beverage delivery or set up.
To stay on track during meetings:
- Start promptly. Don’t wait for latecomers, and don’t review what they missed when they come in. They’ll eventually get the message that punctuality is important to effective meetings.
- Keep eating and drinking time separate from meeting time so participants aren’t distracted by food when they should be listening.
- Designate someone to keep everyone on track. Have him ring a bell or raise a hand if conversations go off-topic.
- Set aside 15 minutes at the end of the meeting to answer questions and bring up new topics. Attendees can write their ideas during the meeting to bring up at the end.
