Title: Guidelines for Effective Meetings
Course: Manage Projects and Ensure a Safe Workplace

Guidelines for Effective Meetings

Guidelines for Effective Meetings

What are the problems with some meetings?

l  There are too many of them

l  They are too long

l  Agendas contain too much

l  Meetings compete with other important meetings and events

l  Too many participants

l  People who should be at the meeting are not

l  People who should not be at the meeting are there

l  The meeting is poorly planned

l  The meeting is called for an insufficient reason

l  Poor meeting leadership

l  Meeting ends without concluding the business at hand

l  Participants are unprepared or poorly prepared

What to avoid- Factors that lead to the failure of meetings

l  Lack of notification which leaves little or no time for people to adequately prepare.

l  No Agenda

l  Wrong people in attendance

l  Lack of control – participants have little or no influence on decisions

l  Lack of clear consensus or conclusion

l  Poor documentation of decisions

What makes for a good meeting

l  It has a purpose, all participants know and understand

l  It has an agenda organized to achieve that purpose

l  People are invited to be there either as contributors or to gain something from it

l  Participants understand their roles, come prepared, make contributions

l  The meeting sticks to the agenda, and accomplishes work with no wasted time

l  Visual presentations are clear, sharp, and colourful and are used whenever possible

l  The chair of the meeting summarizes what has been accomplished

l  Post meeting follow-up is organized

Setting the Agenda

l  Limit the number of agenda items - 3 to 6 is good

l  Allocate ample time – allow time for questions and discussion

l  Include sufficient detail in the agenda so that participants understand what is to be accomplished and so they can prepare adequately

l  Assure the first topic unites the group and then handle the most difficult items early in the meeting

l  Circulate the agenda before hand and invite suggestions

l  What to include:

l  Title of the meeting

l  Time and location

l  Theme and definition – what is meeting about and what are topics

l  Attendees and identify who will lead the meeting

l  Topics including a brief title and short description of the problem or goal you hope to achieve.

Ending meetings

l  Conclude with:

l  Actions or decisions.  Relate them to be stated meeting objective

l  Review the participant’s expectations for the meeting.  Were they met?

l  Clarify what is to happen next, who is to carry it out, and what form the report, if any, will take

l  If another meeting is required the leader has to mention it at this point

l  Assure the participants that meeting minutes will follow within one to two days and will include agreed-upon action items