How to conduct Effective Meetings?
How to make sure that the meetings are conducted exactly the way you think, and get the desired output from it?
Plan your meeting !!
- Any strategic meeting is generally less effective if its for more than 20 min & transactional meetings can go upto 40 minutes.
- It is important to define the time/duration /place /people.
- Have a clear agenda.
- Plan for water, beverages , Projectors, writing materials. Decent backgrounds, good speakers and displays for online meetings.
- Please suggest travel modalities and best routes to reach meeting area. For online meetings, share links and join early
Know the Types of meetings :
- Result oriented Meeting
- Pre-sales/ product or solutions demo
- Introduction meeting / establishing creditability
- Managing escalation/setting expectations
- Plan outcomes
Know your Audience :
- Strategic / management team, operational team, transactional team
- What kind of personality traits do they carry?
- Know the Background of the meeting.
- Evaluate Meeting purpose and possible outcomes.
- Seek conformance and feedbacks.
Conducting the meeting :
- A warm greeting, courtesies & seating arrangements.
- 30 seconds introduction and 30 seconds agenda of the meeting.
- Ask if the visitor/guest wants to start discussion on the point.
- Take notes. Document and share Minutes of meeting(MOM).
- Concentrate and be with the discussions.
- Keep meeting alive with examples, outlook, experiences and healthy smile.
Wrap up the meeting :
- Conclude the meeting before you start casual talk.
- Summarise at the end, ask for inputs, wrap up with feedback and further Plan of action.
- Take feedback, get you visitor book entered or send forms.
- Follow up and Fix calendar if there is a follow up meeting.
Dos and don’ts in a meeting:
Do’s :
- A Purposeful Voice Modulation
- Body Language
- Assertive approach
- Eye Contact
- Punctual and Well Mannered
Don’ts:
- Casual approach
- Over reactions/aggressiveness
- Jumping others points
- Mobiles/laptops/walking in-out disturbances
- Late to the meeting