7 Tips for an Effective Meeting
9 September 2014
Read by 2911 persons
Poor preparation, unclear task and responsibility assignments, lack of punctuality... Are your meetings time-consuming, demotivating, and a financial drain? Here are some tips to improve the situation.
1 DEFINE YOUR OBJECTIVES
The success of a meeting depends on its preparation. "There is no need to meet regularly, every Monday morning for example: to be effective, it is better to do so only when you know what it will serve," says René Moulinier, consultant and author of *Mener une réunion efficace* (Running an effective meeting) *Mener une réunion efficace* - *The underside of a successful meeting*, 3rd edition, by René Moulinier, Editions d'Organisation, December 2006, 250 p., 18 Euros. Defining the objectives of this meeting allows you to define the agenda. Establish it clearly and concisely, detailing the topics discussed. This will allow the facilitator to assess the time needed for the meeting and perhaps eliminate certain points. "You have to be reasonable: a usual two-hour work meeting is generally sufficient," continues René Moulinier.
2 CHOOSE THE RIGHT PARTICIPANTS
"Ensure that all the collaborators present have a real interest in taking part in the meeting," advises Sylvain Jouve, consultant at RH & Organisation. A good remedy against boredom and potential yawns... The facilitator can also plan the presence of certain people for part of the meeting, depending on the points discussed. "Participants often arrive with a blank notepad and a pen, whereas they should come with a file containing the history of the meetings and a presentation of their intervention," emphasizes Sylvain Jouve. To avoid improvisation and the resulting inefficiency, inform your colleagues in advance of the meeting, the agenda, and its time frame. Clearly ask them to prepare for a structured debate, specifying for example on each invitation that you expect such and such a person to speak on a particular issue. They will prepare all the better as they will know how much time will be allocated to each point. In order to optimize the dynamics of exchanges, do not exceed eight to ten people for each meeting.
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1 DEFINE YOUR OBJECTIVES
The success of a meeting depends on its preparation. "There is no need to meet regularly, every Monday morning for example: to be effective, it is better to do so only when you know what it will serve," says René Moulinier, consultant and author of *Mener une réunion efficace* (Running an effective meeting) *Mener une réunion efficace* - *The underside of a successful meeting*, 3rd edition, by René Moulinier, Editions d'Organisation, December 2006, 250 p., 18 Euros. Defining the objectives of this meeting allows you to define the agenda. Establish it clearly and concisely, detailing the topics discussed. This will allow the facilitator to assess the time needed for the meeting and perhaps eliminate certain points. "You have to be reasonable: a usual two-hour work meeting is generally sufficient," continues René Moulinier.
2 CHOOSE THE RIGHT PARTICIPANTS
"Ensure that all the collaborators present have a real interest in taking part in the meeting," advises Sylvain Jouve, consultant at RH & Organisation. A good remedy against boredom and potential yawns... The facilitator can also plan the presence of certain people for part of the meeting, depending on the points discussed. "Participants often arrive with a blank notepad and a pen, whereas they should come with a file containing the history of the meetings and a presentation of their intervention," emphasizes Sylvain Jouve. To avoid improvisation and the resulting inefficiency, inform your colleagues in advance of the meeting, the agenda, and its time frame. Clearly ask them to prepare for a structured debate, specifying for example on each invitation that you expect such and such a person to speak on a particular issue. They will prepare all the better as they will know how much time will be allocated to each point. In order to optimize the dynamics of exchanges, do not exceed eight to ten people for each meeting.
Read the rest of the article.
