Before
Determine the Goal
Get to the bottom of what your singular, ultimate goal is for the meeting. What do you need to have achieved by the end of it? Your agenda should be shaped towards achieving this goal.
Write an Agenda
Create a full and detailed agenda for your meeting, and ensure that all meeting members have access to it beforehand. In addition, ensure to include break times for long meetings.
Determine Everyone’s Role
Allocate a role for all members of the call. Whether it be presenting the latest project, taking notes, or moderating the meeting, all participants should know why they’re there, and feel as though they’re providing value in the meeting.g the call will ensure that all tasks or discussion points are covered in the allocated time.
Send Calendar Invitations
Send out calendar invitations to ensure all staff members make the meeting. As we move to an increasingly online working life, computer calendars are essential parts of day to day work life. Email calendar invitations will automatically schedule meetings into calendars.
Supply Guests with Necessary Pre-Reads
Not all meetings require a pre-read, but they can be useful to help hit the ground running as soon as the meeting starts. If you do provide them, ensure all attendees are prepared by distributing them early, allocating enough time to read and understand the materials.
During
Review the Goal, Agenda, and Everyone’s Roles
Begin the meeting with a summary of all elements of the meeting. This is to ensure everyone is on the same page regarding their roles and the meeting schedule, and helps keep everyone on track and focused.
Moderate the Meeting
Delegate moderation to a member of the meeting. Moderation ensures that the meeting sticks to the agenda and doesn’t run over the allocated time slot. This will also signal to other members of the meeting that they can expect to be asked to table off-topic discussions for later if they get off track.t something simple, such as, the best thing they did at the weekend. Or what they had for breakfast.
Document the Meeting
Delegate note taking to a member of the meeting. Having detailed notes of discussions and action items will help ensure all members’ great ideas are recorded and can be referred back to when reviewing the goal of the meeting.
After
Distribute Action Items After the Meeting
Distribute all action items to staff members quickly, and in a place where they can easily access them. Ensure that you follow up on these action items in the following days, allowing staff to ask questions and report their progress.
