Effectively leading a business meeting requires planning that ensures that key outcomes are attained and that the meeting flows without confusion and miscommunication.
Business meetings can drag on and cause more communication confusion than if the meeting wasn’t held in the first place. To effectively chair meetings, it is important to do some careful planning to get to the desired outcomes.
In the planning stage it is important to first make sure that the outcome(s) of the meeting are clearly defined. Here are some possible outcomes. Are you holding the meeting to:
Communicate a change and implementation plan of this change?
If this is your goal, then come to the meeting with the rationale for the change (and include facts and figures to support the rationale), the history behind the change, what the change is expected to do and how the plan will be implemented with consideration of workload, scheduling etc. A detailed timeline of the implementation plan is a great handout to provide to the meeting attendees.
Distribute workload on an initiative?
If your purpose is to decide who will take on actionable items, then plan by breaking down the initiative into chunks that can be delegated or use the first part of the meeting to brainstorm ways to break down the initiative. If possible, estimate the time and resource commitments for each chunk so that there is a balance of workload distribution.
Get consensus on a strategic goal or solution to a problem?
To plan a meeting where your main purpose is to introduce an idea, create a presentation that covers all the questions – who, what, where, why and how. Try to anticipate the frequently asked questions and the information that will be needed in order for buy-in to be gained. This type of meeting requires you to do your homework and have a polished presentation without holes.
Brainstorm for ideas?
To plan a brainstorming meeting, draw up a list of questions that will stir up suggestions and discussion. Plan a way to record the ideas generated either electronically or on a flip chart or white board. Electronic records are great in that you can easily distribute the results afterwards. However it is not always the option of choice if you plan to break the team into groups. One solution is to give each group a lap top and a memory stick so that results can be viewed on the big screen when the groups report on their findings.
Review results for the quarter or year?
To plan a business meeting to review results, it is important to come prepared with visual aids to present the facts and figures. Graphs, diagrams and tables are useful tools to help identify trends and compare historical data to the present data. Identify key factors that have influenced any trends or anomalies in the figures.
After the outcomes have been defined, draw up a meeting agenda and determine a timeline for each agenda item. Then determine the length of meeting that is required to comfortably get through all of the agenda items with at least 20 minutes to spare for unforeseen side discussions or technical problems. Distribute the agenda a day or two in advance so that meeting participants know what to expect and come prepared for the meeting.
If you have comments or suggestions on this article, please start a discussion
If you liked this article, try:
Leadership Potential Assessment
Copyright © 2007 Joni Rose and Suite 101. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized use will constitute an infringement of copyright.
