Planning an Effective Meeting

Minutes of meetings have the agenda, who has attended, absences and apologises then there will be the content of what was said in the meeting.

Once the meeting has been determined the manager should pick a location in which the meeting can be conducted. The preference is a location in which there will be some type of barrier between the manager and the employee. The manager should position the room in such a way that the employee doesn’t have to cross paths once the meeting has ended. While the meeting is going the manager should open the meeting explaining the reason for which they are meeting.

When arranging a meeting types of information may include the reason for the meeting, the time and length, the date and location, what resources are required and a list of required attendees and their contact details.

A meeting agenda ensures that the meeting will be a productive use of everyone's time. It can focus the attendee’s efforts and provide a structure to accomplish the meeting purpose. It defines outcomes, and important information, attendee roles and responsibilities and a meeting timeline. It allows attendee’s to prepare for the meeting as it is made available a week before. It also works as a checklist of those attending, goals and topics for discussion to make sure that all the necessary information is covered and keeps team members focused on the specific goals and stay on track with the subject matter.

Meetings management involves a variety of different activities. Before a meeting has begun the office administrator should make sure that he/she has booked a room for the meeting and that it is in accessible location so that it allows access for anyone who is disabled and it complies with all current government legislation. The secretary should make sure that all the equipment is already set up in the room and check it is in good working order. For example: a computer and a projector if there are going to be presentations of any kind. There should also be sufficient refreshment available. An agenda which contain: Apologies, minutes of the previous meeting, matters arising, any other business and the date of the next meeting. This is sent to all attendees of the meetings in advance so they know what is being discussed.*

To be early, is to be on time, to be on time, is to be late, and to be late, is out of the question. Being able to adhere to a given deadline in a group situation, demonstrates responsibility, time management, group cohesion, and progress. However, being that a group is a collection of individuals with separate lives, there are times when members of the group may be experiencing extenuating circumstances preventing the group from completing a task on time. In such a scenario, communication within the chain of command is essential. Failing to communicate problems that may arise, and inhibit group progression towards a task will result in failure to communicate the task, group division, distrust between the chain of command and the group,

Work is the one of the biggest places where time management is essential. You may have to juggle many projects and people at the same time. Your first goal should be to set a realistic timeline for each project. Identify the key elements involved such as:

Review last meeting minutes is an important element in this process that explains all the activities of previous meeting if there is any out loud so that everyone clearly hears and knows what is going on in the project. This allows all members to know what has been said, what needs to be done, and it helps to go over everything about the agenda of the day.

Agenda and Minutes – When formal meetings are happening, they tend to require both an agenda and minutes. If a formal meeting has an agenda, it can be recorded in minutes. Minutes will clearly outline everything that has been discussed and can be seen as a record of the meeting. Action

Step-3: Assign the roles of facilitator, scribe, and timekeeper: A meeting is a time bound activity. The meeting

Evaluate any feedback received. Discuss the findings with the Chair/people involved in organising the meeting. Agree whether changes are required/appropriate.

This chart says it all. An additional point that I would like to add is: Ensure all invited are relevant to the meeting, they can either provide guidance, provide input or are impacted by the outcome (outcome might not be relevant unless they can impact change). I say this as 40% of all meetings I have to attend, can be summed up in an email ( I can't do any of the above items (It's only informational at this point).

This would list the venue, date and time, speaker, contact details. An agenda of the meeting would be the best way to send out these details as it lists all that information and lets attendees knows how the meeting will be run.

I have always come prepared to a meeting. I would determine the purpose and objective of the meeting in advance thus eliminating time wastage. In order to contribute to the team discussion, I would always prepare by having a basic understanding of the topic at hand.

There are constantly problems arising from poor time management. Last week, a welder took too many breaks and did not complete his task. Yesterday, an ironworker did not complete his assignment, because he took an extended lunch.