PLAN AND CONDUCT EFFECTIVE MEETINGS

RUN BUSINESS MEETINGS THAT ARE FOCUSED, PRODUCTIVE, AND BENEFICIAL TO YOUR ORGANIZATION
In business, meetings are necessary but not always efficient. But by using the principles in Plan and Conduct Effective Meetings, you'll discover 24 easy-to-implement techniques geared to make your meetings more productive than ever before.

This step-by-step guide goes straight to the heart of meeting planning and facilitating, explaining why meetings go wrong and what to do about it. You'll learn to conduct meetings that stay sharply focused; turn participants into valuable contributors; and make decisions that result in actionable tasks. This guide also discusses video- and teleconferencing, so you can use those powerful technologies to your advantage, too. Plus, you'll:

Discover how preparation can guarantee meeting success
Learn to begin each meeting with a purpose and end with an accomplishment
Understand each participant's role, to increase productivity
Discover how to deal with problems during meetings Get tips on using technology to hold virtual meetings

Barbara J. Streibel, Ph.D., is a consultant and manager of intellectual capital development at Oriel, Inc., where she is the lead developer of a number of highly regarded management training programs.

Introduction: Make meetings effective

01 Use meetings smarter
Accept mediocrity

02 Decide—to meet or not
Don’t think, just meet

03 Set goals, choose means
Gather, gavel, and go

04 Decide how to decide
Flip a coin

05 Schedule
Stay free and loose

06 Pick and prepare
Invite everybody

07 Set the scene
Schedule and go

08 Assign roles
Do it all yourself

09 Start right
Jump into the agenda

10 Agree on ground rules
Forgo rules

11 Conduct the meeting
Go with the flow

12 Inform and discuss
Decide quickly and act

13 Direct traffic
Choose: control or chaos

14 Work with styles
Treat people all the same

15 Get a decision
Talk the issue to death

16 Close the meeting
Stop and go

17 Evaluate
Be glad it’s over

18 Provide minutes
Trust memories and mouths

19 Work and improve
Schedule and wait

20 Identify causes
Ready, fire, aim

21 Get lots of ideas
Go with the first idea

22 Evaluate options
Flip a coin

23 Decide and plan
Pick an option and do it

24 Meet virtually
Meet same time, same place