Professional environments, especially within an office, require some collaboration. For example, making important decisions often involves the intervention of more than one person, who will bring their point of view and their expertise, and the same is true for the vital tasks that are used to ensure the success of the company. Meetings are ideal for structuring and organizing this cooperation, but, without having goals or controlling them, they can last for hours and be useless. Knowing how to program, prepare and conduct them can make a difference and make their function more effective.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Prepare for the Reunion
Step 1. Discuss the next scheduled meeting with the people who will attend
As soon as they tell you that you will be chairing a meeting, one of the first actions to implement is to dedicate time to the people who will speak, especially if they are a superior or other important individuals. Ask them if there is anything they would like to discuss specifically during the meeting. Make a note of the answers and use them to guide you in drafting the agenda.
Asking attendees what they'd like to discuss is a smart move - not only will it make it easier to draft the agenda, you'll get everyone involved in the meeting process before it even begins. People are more likely to intervene and pay attention during meetings if they know that important issues will be discussed and that affect them firsthand
Step 2. Write and distribute the meeting agenda
It can be a useful tool not only for the meeting chairman, but also for the guests. This document contains important information about the meeting, such as when it will take place and where and who will attend. Most importantly, it will list the topics you intend to talk about, allowing everyone to prepare. Inform interested parties in time: the more important the meeting, the sooner you should take care of it.
The agenda should absolutely indicate the maximum duration allowed for each topic of discussion. Preparing a rough list in advance makes it easier for you to scroll through the meeting. While some points may take longer (and others less), having a schedule simplifies the progress of the meeting and allows you to talk about everything
Step 3. Research the topics of discussion and any previous meetings
The people attending the meeting may not be up to date on all the topics you intend to talk about, some may not have been present at the previous ones and others have simply forgotten them. Since you are the president, you should know what happened before this meeting. Try asking people who have attended the most important meetings, so you will know which points are left open, because you will have to reopen them. You may also ask for past meeting minutes, which will help you with the organization.
Past meeting minutes can be an important resource for presiding over a meeting. They summarize the discussions and decisions that have been made in the past, so you can recover them relatively quickly, and it will be easy to catch up. You could also add the main points to the agenda, make copies of them and distribute them to attendees
Step 4. Prepare the space that will be dedicated to the meeting in advance
On the day of the meeting, you'll need to make sure the venue is clean, presentable, and perfect for welcoming attendees. You will need to be sure that all the technological components (computers, projectors, screens, etc.) are working well and are ready to be used. If there is confusion, you will waste precious time, and the meeting will last longer.
If you will be making an electronic presentation (for example in PowerPoint), take a moment to familiarize yourself with the remote control you will use to scroll through the slides. You shouldn't waste time trying to figure out how it works, otherwise the meeting will last a lot longer
Part 2 of 3: The Role of the President
Step 1. Start the meeting
Once the time has come and all the participants (or, at least, the most important ones) are seated, draw the attention of the assembly. Introduce yourself and determine the goal of the meeting. Determine what the expected duration is, so everyone knows what time it will end. It may last longer or shorter, but stating the time limit you calculated will help you stay on track. Some participants don't know each other? Take a moment to quickly introduce the main ones.
Remember that some businesses and organizations have strict and well-defined procedures for opening and conducting a meeting. For example, in some cases the start of a meeting is established by striking a gavel, and the rules for introducing attendees and speaking are just as strict
Step 2. Summarize relevant points from previous meetings
If it is a meeting that belongs to a long and lasting project, you will need to quickly update all participants on the progress of the program. Quickly summarize all major events or decisions from previous meetings. Not everyone present may be aware of the topics of discussion, so you need to make sure that everyone is on the same page and the meeting is effective and useful.
- Instead of taking care of the summary of what happened in previous meetings, you could ask a secretary to do it, who will read the minutes of previous meetings to summarize the decisions made.
- You may also want to read any important letters or documents that were written between the previous and current meeting.
- Remember that if you provide copies of the minutes and other documents to attendees, reading them aloud will not be necessary.
Step 3. Allow key participants to report on the situation
Later, allow the experts to inform the rest of the assembly about new or recent developments that have occurred since the previous meeting. They can relate to any aspect, such as the latest difficulties the company or organization is facing, changes made to staff, project developments, and strategic changes. The important thing is that it is all relevant. Attendees will also want to learn more about the specific actions that were taken as a result of the decisions made at the previous meeting.
Step 4. Take care of the points left open
If there are any issues that haven't been resolved or decisions that haven't been made at the last meeting, try to consider them before you start talking about new topics. The more old issues are postponed, the less participants will want to take responsibility for them, so try to bring them up and remedy any outstanding points before moving on to the agenda. Usually, they are clearly indicated in the previous minutes.
- Depending on the culture and rules of your company or association, there are probably specific procedures in place for reaching an agreement. For example, participants should only reach a majority consensus, or choose a group of managers, who will take care of the decision-making process.
- Remember that some points are too important to complete between meetings. You don't necessarily have to dwell on the progress of long-term projects that have not yet been completed. Either way, you should talk about decisions or plans that require immediate action.
Step 5. Talk about any new topics
Next, raise recent issues, concerns, and issues for discussion. They should come naturally from the developments that have taken place between the previous encounters and the present. Encourages participants to make concrete and definitive decisions; the more aspects are neglected, the more open points will remain for future meetings.
Step 6. Summarize the conclusions of the meeting
Once you have talked about all the past and current points, take a moment to summarize the conclusions in front of everyone present. Review the results of all decisions made and, if necessary, describe the specific actions that participants will need to implement before the next meeting.
This step is critical - it's your last chance to make sure everyone leaves the meeting knowing exactly where the projects are and what they should do
Step 7. Conclude by laying the groundwork for future meetings
Finally, he explains to everyone what must be completed before the next meeting; if it has already been planned, remember where and when it will take place. This will give everyone a sense of continuity, moving from one important project or decision to another and establishing a time frame for progressing or completing the tasks that have been assigned.
Remember that you don't have to schedule another meeting if you deal with all the past and present points in the current one. However, if there are any topics that need to be talked about in the future or you are waiting to see how certain projects develop, doing so is a good idea
Part 3 of 3: Conducting the Meeting Effectively
Step 1. Lead the discussion, but don't dominate it
As president, one of your main tasks is to move the dialogue forward and bring it to useful topics. You don't have to give opinions on every single issue or follow an exact schedule. Try to be flexible. Let the other participants speak freely and allow new topics to emerge, even if they are not included on the agenda. You may find that certain topics need to be wrapped up or changed slightly to keep the meeting on track, but you shouldn't be in control of every aspect of the meeting. After all, it is a collaborative process.
As the meeting progresses, keep an eye on the agenda. If you are falling behind, you should skip certain topics or postpone them later, time permitting. Don't be afraid to do this if the issues discussed are quite important
Step 2. Encourage participants to take action
As you are the president, your job is to foster an open and productive discussion. If you notice that certain present with relevant and useful knowledge do not open up to the rest of the group, encourage them to speak. You don't have to force them or ask direct questions, just say a sentence like “I think Mrs. Bianchi's experience can help us in this case”. This is a great technique for involving less active members in the meeting.
Step 3. Make sure everyone understands what you are talking about
It can be difficult to remember that not all participants have the same experience or the same knowledge regarding the issues raised. To make sure everyone in the audience doesn't think it's a waste of time, you need to take the opportunity to briefly simplify more complex topics or topics as soon as they are mentioned. Less experienced members will undoubtedly appreciate it.
Step 4. Don't ignore difficult or uncomfortable questions
If not monitored by a competent chairman, meetings can be incredibly useless. Try to make sure you name any important topics to discuss. Try to linger and get answers regarding the issues that no one wants to address. Although not of interest to everyone present, the most inconvenient points are exactly those to be resolved in order for a meeting to be considered profitable.
Remember that important decisions must be recorded (if you have an official secretary or another employee who will write the minutes, ask him). By taking the trouble to ask the less easy questions, you will need to make sure the answers are well documented
Step 5. Keep track of time
Meetings have a bad reputation for one reason: they are thought to be a huge waste of time. To keep them from being infinite, use your role to make them flow dynamically. Don't be afraid to leave out the less important issues and conversations for their own sake, putting them off at the end of the meeting. Do this if the meeting seems to take longer than expected. Be prepared to adjust the agenda on the fly to make sure you don't waste time for attendees.
