But meetings can be very efficient and productive when they are planned right. Here are some simple steps for planning effective meetings . First, decide if planning a meeting is really necessary. We often think a formal meeting is the best way to share information or have a discussion.
Process Only (PO) —You have no management or content tasks. Your role is to observe and comment on how the group is doing. Process and Meeting Management (PM) —You may be employed to manage a meeting without responsibility for its content. Participants provide information, analysis, conclusions, decisions, and action plans.
Fortunately, it is much easier to structure a meeting for success in advance than to worry about the motives and habits of people once they arrive. Here we will suggest what you could seek to control before the meeting. If it’s your meeting, don’t hold it until you have the conditions right.
Your role is to observe and comment on how the group is doing. Process and Meeting Management (PM) —You may be employed to manage a meeting without responsibility for its content. Participants provide information, analysis, conclusions, decisions, and action plans. Future Search facilitators and internal consultants typically take this role.
A Checklist for Planning Your Next Big MeetingIdentify the purpose of the meeting. ... Make sure you really need a meeting. ... Develop a preliminary agenda. ... Select the right participants. ... Assign roles to participants. ... Decide where and when to hold the meeting and confirm availability of the space.More items...•
Here's the sequence of steps to plan an effective meeting agenda....List the meeting's topics.What topics do we have to cover to accomplish our goal?What outcome/s do we want for each topic?What information do we need?Who will make the decision/s?
However, you can make your meetings more productive by following three simple steps: Plan the meeting, manage the meeting, follow up. The principal planning tool — for you and your meeting participants — is the agenda. An agenda should specify:The meeting's purpose. Limit the meeting to achieving one purpose.
That will make a productive meeting and a happy team....Here are 6 steps to effective meeting planning:Why? Determine the purpose of the meeting.What? Specify the end result of the meeting. ... Who? Determine who needs to be there.What? Specify what information needs to be presented.When/Where? ... Who/How?
7 Step Meeting ProcessClarify Aim/Purpose.Assign Roles.Review Agenda.Work through Agenda.Review meeting record.Plan Next Steps and Next Agenda.Evaluate.
If a meeting is necessary, establish an agenda outlining the discussion topics, and include the length of time allotted for each topic and key speakers, if any. Allow for time at the end of the meeting to cover unfinished business and discuss next steps. Distribute the agenda prior to and during the meeting.
The four stages of effective meetings are:Preparation. This is the time to really define what your meeting is all about. ... The Meeting. ... Closing. ... Follow-up.
4 Simple Steps to Planning a Productive MeetingStep 1: Make Sure your Meeting has a Purpose. First, you need to set a goal for your meeting to ensure that it's necessary. ... Step 2: Prepare the Meeting's Structure. ... Step 3: Avoid Common Meeting Pitfalls. ... Step 4: Make Meetings Available Anywhere, Any Time.
Terms in this set (12) The first step in the planning process is determining goals.
12 Proven Tips for Effective Meeting ManagementHave a Clear Objective. Is the meeting needed to generate new ideas, to gather information, or to make decisions? ... Meet Outside the Office. ... Be Prepared. ... Invite Less People. ... Don't Be Late. ... Stand up. ... Leave Room for Creativity. ... Don't Lose Focus.More items...
The responsibility is for structure rather than content. If you use a particular meeting model, you advocate explicit structures within which to frame goals, time required, room setups, and formal subgroups. However, the content comes entirely from participants.
Most small-group meetings require only one structure, a committee of the whole. If we work only in one group, differentiation occurs as each person speaks or when a show of hands is asked for. There are occasions, though, when we might ask for explicit subgroups—pairs, trios, quartets, eights, and so forth.
Process Only (PO) —You have no management or content tasks. Your role is to observe and comment on how the group is doing. Process and Meeting Management (PM) —You may be employed to manage a meeting without responsibility for its content. Participants provide information, analysis, conclusions, decisions, and action plans.
Your leadership style will never carry you that far no matter how much training you have. If action is called for, a decision required, a problem to be solved, commitments to be made, you waste everybody’s time acting without the actors, decision makers, and problem solvers.
It is helpful to review your successes and shortcomings from your last conference and use that information to help inform your planning this time around.
Conference Planning: A Step-by-Step Checklist for Success. Conferences are an important part of professional development and business networking for all industries. Bringing people together from all around the world in the same industry to learn and share is essential for innovation. A successful conference can come in all shapes and sizes, ...
There is no way to tell if your attendees had a good time without asking them. This is when an online survey can help you learn how your event did. Create an online survey that asks questions about specific topics like location, food, session and speakers, and general feelings about your conference.
To plan and execute an amazing conference or corporate event, you need to first decide specifically what you are trying to accomplish. Ask yourself what type of conference attendee you want to attract, as well as how you can make sure the conference relates to your brand.
There are many fixed costs in conference planning that will inevitably make up the most considerable portion of your event budget. These costs are not typically affected by the number of attendees at your event — they are what they are.
Securing your main speakers is incredibly important because you can’t effectively build your event schedule and marketing plans without them.
Most of the time, an event date is determined by a venue’s availability. However, if the date is more important than the venue, you will need to prioritize finding a venue that accommodates that date. Once you have your venue/location and date set, it’s time to rally the troops to make this event happen.
Consider who can help you accomplish your goal and who will be affected by the meeting’s outcome. Identify key decision makers , people who are knowledgeable about (or have a stake in) the topic at hand , those who need to be informed in order to do their jobs, and anyone who will be required to implement decisions made . What about size? Keep problem solving meetings small (around 8 people). Include more people for brainstorming (as many as 18). If you’re providing updates or rallying the troops, be as inclusive as you want to be. But remember: time is money. Be conscious of the ripple effects your meeting can have on people’s time across the organization—and only invite those who absolutely have to be there.
Don’t pile on another meeting without thinking about other ways to accomplish your goal first. It’s better not to meet if: 1 you don’t have time to prepare 2 another method of communication would work just as well 3 you’re dealing with a sensitive topic or a personnel issue that would be better handled one-on-one 4 you need to solicit a number of individuals’ opinions
A scribe captures key ideas and decisions and distributes notes (this gives shy people a way to participate.) A timekeeper helps move the discussion along efficiently. A contributor keeps the discussion lively and on track. An expert shares knowledge on particular issues.
If the agenda has changed, distribute the final version to participants. Make sure you’re ready to lead the discussion for each agenda item or that you’ve assigned items to appropriate attendees.
It's a good idea to follow up with an email to all those in attendance, those that were unable to attend the meeting and anyone else who may need to be informed. Also include any action items, specifying who is responsible for each item as well as the due date.
What inevitably happens is, going forward, everyone knows that these meetings never start on time so everyone starts showing up late. Take charge of your meeting. Start promptly at the given start time. Shut the door and begin. Stragglers will quickly get the message they are arriving late and they should only make that mistake once. And besides, everyone has to get back to work, so you don't want to disrupt the entire workday.
If the approach to the meeting isn’t working, don’t be afraid to switch course. For example, if a brainstorming session is yielding a quiet room with very little dialogue, change direction. Be flexible and pay attention to how the overall meeting is progressing.
Meetings can be boring, are often unnecessary and definitely take time away from other (more crucial) work. But meetings can be very efficient and productive when they are planned right. Here are some simple steps for planning effective meetings .