Effective Meeting Management

When planning and designing successful meetings...

1. Always have a purpose and an agenda (with timings)
2. Always know who Mr/Mrs Big is – Who’s the boss, who’s the decision maker? Make sure you engage them
3. Allocate different roles to different people (not necessarily 4 people, but at least 2)
   1. Facilitator – runs the meeting
   2. Scribe – writes notes on a whiteboard for everyone to see (‘parks’ ideas)
   3. Timer – watches clock (as per agenda)
   4. Minute taker – someone who takes copious notes (no notes = no meeting)
4. Be very clear on what the ‘inputs’ and ‘outputs’ for the meeting are (and use this terminology with the people present)
5. To close out, ensure the meeting met everyone’s expectations (e.g. check items off the whiteboard) and follow up ASAP