Getting to the meeting on time is very important, but it’s also frustrating when the meeting starts 10 minutes late. The schedule is unclear, the person in charge is unavailable, and some people begin offering ideas. The session ends without much discussion, and you silently reflect on the lost hour. Fortunately, a few strategies and tips can help you organize a successful meeting.
-Have an Agenda
A well-designed plan is essential to any meeting, but many start without a clear sense of purpose. A well-defined agenda can help everyone get on track and avoid getting bogged down in the discussion. It can be presented on a handout or a whiteboard and discussed at the outset. Having a compass helps keep the meeting moving forward, and it can help prevent the discussion from getting lost.
Annette Catino, the chief executive of a healthcare organization, said that she would leave the meeting if she didn’t have an agenda in front of her. She said she could not participate in the discussion if she didn’t know what was happening in the meeting.
-Be On Time
Waiting for the main person to show up can drain the energy of the people waiting. It’s hard to explain why so many people in positions of power habitually get late for meetings. They might be busy or they are just trying to remind everyone how valuable their time is.
Employees’ time figuring out when the boss will arrive wastes their precious resources. When setting the informal rules of the organization, employees can take cues from the person in the office. If the meeting is scheduled to start on time, everyone will be able to participate.
Terry Lundgren, the chairman of Macy’s, has a strict policy regarding on-time meetings. He said that if the meeting is scheduled to start at 8 am, then everyone should be at the meeting by 8. He also said that employees who can’t get off the last call should be at the meeting as soon as possible.
An organization should consider one of the most critical factors when meeting on time is having a definite end time. This will help ensure that the meeting is completed on time and that everyone can return to work.
-End on an Action Plan
Every meeting should also include a discussion about the next steps. This should have the responsibility for the decisions and the deadlines. If the meeting is not completed on time, all of the time that you spend on it will be for nothing.