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You can make a difference by leading meetings that get results. Start with these pre-planning tips for a concise collaboration:
Why are you having the meeting? Ask yourself the Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How? Is it narrow in scope, or will it cover many topics? How much time is needed? Should it be covered in more than one session?
Reserve the meeting place in advance and be sure you have everything necessary: tables, chairs, speaker phone, audio-visual equipment, etc.
If a presentation is involved, test the equipment at least an hour before the meeting. Faulty equipment steals credibility and wastes time.
Don't just tell them, "The workforce development meeting is Friday at 10:00 in the conference room."
This leaves too much for interpretation by your group. Which Friday? How long is the meeting so they can plan their workday? What do they need to do to prepare for the meeting? Is there more than one conference room? Once you've got the essentials, put the main points in bold to reinforce your message and make it easy for them to see and hard to miss.
The revised e-mail effectively reads: "Our workforce development meeting is Friday, November 13, 2015, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. in the first floor conference room. Please come prepared to discuss topics for upcoming seminars for the middle school and high school students.”
Take charge and maintain control of your meeting with these group meeting facilitation guidelines:
By following these meeting management tips, your team should leave energized and ready to roll up their sleeves. You’ll be known as an effective leader, which is another credit to your management portfolio.
Join the ASAP Circle, a community platform that offers an opportunity for peer-to-peer conversation on trending topics, professional challenges, and shared experiences. We also offer a moderated coffee break each week on a rotating schedule where admins can speak and connect via Zoom. See you there!