Meetings With A Purpose
At the beginning of the year many people say that they are going to hold or attend regular meetings. Usually the first couple of weeks will go smoothly, but what happens when things start to get busier again? One of the first activities that falls by the wayside is holding and attending meetings. Only meetings that have a predefined structure will be able to stand the test of time.
So how do you hold a meeting with a purpose?
- Determine in advance what you want to accomplish at the meeting. Is it a meeting to discuss progress towards a goal, to touch base with your team, or to respond to an issue that has come up? This will let everyone attending the meeting know how to prepare for the meeting.
- Have a start time and a finish time and stick to them. Knowing that a meeting will last for a set length of time will be easier to fit into a busy schedule.
- Schedule the meeting and let all who are expected to attend know when and where the meeting is to be held. Attach a copy of what you are going to cover in the meeting and encourage the attendants to prepare relevant information from their projects to present, and any concerns or issues that they may have.
- Pick a time to meet again and set goals for what you want to achieve for the next meeting. Determine which tasks can be assigned to administrative staff for assistance.
Holding and attending regular meetings will help you and your team to maintain a strong connection and to stay focused on achieving goals.
How do you keep your meetings on track?
