By James A. Baker · Founder, Baker Communications
First of all, make sure the meeting is absolutely necessary. Is there any other possible way the needs and issues can be addressed that doesn’t involve pulling several people away from other high value tasks and trapping them in a tiny room, a fuzzy phone call, or an online web conference? Can this be handled through a series of emails or memos? Can you delegate the assignment to a single person? Can it wait until next month? Do you have all the information you need to make this meeting worthwhile? Are all the important players available? Make sure you answer all these questions BEFORE you start the meeting.
Then, make sure you have prepared a specific, well-organized agenda. An agenda serves as a guide to follow in the meeting, a mechanism for communicating about the meeting, and as a structure for developing the meeting strategy. Every meeting should have an agenda and it should be given to all participants before the meeting begins. It can be on paper, chalkboard, and flip-chart or communicated orally. Ideally, participants should have the opportunity to give input to or feedback about the agenda prior to the start of the meeting because they will be more likely to develop both interest and commitment to the success of the meeting.
