Ten Ways to Keep a Meeting on Track

We've all been to them, meetings that go on and on, and nothing seems to get accomplished. The following guidelines will help you organize your meetings, whether they are staff training sessions or client  presentations.

1. Know what the primary purpose of the meeting is.  The good old days of long lunches and chats is gone. Productivity is key. Even brainstorming sessions need structure to have maximum effectiveness.
2. Have the right players involved in the meeting. A common problem is having too many people or even worse, not having the key decision makers involved when they should be. 
3. Have an agenda. And stick to it. Pace the meeting so the last five minutes are not spent trying to cover three or four important topics. Start and end the meeting on time. Don't insult the people who arrived on time by waiting another few minutes in case someone else is planning on attending.
4. Allow time for discussion on key points but clearly show the amount of time allocated and stick to it
5. Reduce reading time during the meeting by distributing materials a couple of days before the meeting, and explain to the attendees that the expectation is that they will prepare by reading the materials.
6. If a meeting is going to last several hours, schedule short health breaks. 
7. Provide non alcoholic drinks and low sugar snacks
8. Have someone take notes of the discussions.  Distribute the typed version of the notes if appropriate.
9. Have the tools needed. Check the laptop and projectors to make sure they work prior to the presentation. Chose an appropriate room (not overly large or so small it is cramped)
10. Ask for feedback, on how you did and on the material presented.