{"id":3361,"date":"2018-08-29T07:57:02","date_gmt":"2018-08-29T14:57:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aauwarizona.org\/?page_id=3361"},"modified":"2018-08-29T08:23:12","modified_gmt":"2018-08-29T15:23:12","slug":"tips-for-an-effective-meeting","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.aauwarizona.org\/staging\/leadership-tips\/tips-for-an-effective-meeting\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips for an Effective Meeting"},"content":{"rendered":"

submitted by Margaret Noser<\/p>\n

Attending meetings is the least favorite job requirement of every organization.\u00a0 However\u00a0 taking a few specific steps can make meetings more effective and less painful.\u00a0\u00a0 Harvey Mackay<\/strong>, a well-known business advisor and author from Minneapolis, has provided some excellent tips to do just that.\u00a0 With his permission, I have listed his \u201cMeeting Responsibilities\u201d from a recent column in The Arizona Republic<\/em>.*\u00a0\u00a0 This column was focused on brief, one-topic business meetings but the basic ideas also apply to meetings with larger agendas.<\/p>\n

Meeting Leader Responsibilities<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Set an Agenda.<\/strong> List the issues to discuss, review or decide.\u00a0 Your agenda should include firm starting and ending times, as well as estimates of time for each item under discussion.\u00a0 Time limits encourage people to be better prepared to discuss the subject at hand.\u00a0 They also demonstrate a respect for attendee\u2019s other commitments.<\/li>\n
  2. Start on Time<\/strong>. Don\u2019t wait for latecomers. If someone is late, don\u2019t go back and review what has been covered.\u00a0 Show that you value the time of the people who showed up promptly.\u00a0 In the same vein, end the meeting as soon as you have achieved what you set out to do.<\/li>\n
  3. Appoint a \u201cReferee.\u201d <\/strong>The referee\u2019s job is to keep the discussion on track and interrupt whenever the talk strays. New topics that arise should either be tabled until later or scheduled for their own meetings.<\/li>\n
  4. Keep and Send Minutes<\/strong>. Someone other than the meeting organizer should take notes of the meeting. These minutes should record who attended, what was discussed, any agreements that were reached and all time and action items that were assigned\u2013and who is responsible for them.\u00a0 That ensures that those who attended all have the same information.\u00a0 Minutes can be as simple as bullet points, assignments and timelines.\u00a0 Distribute minutes within 24 hours [or as soon as possible.]<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Meeting Attendees\u2019 Responsibilities<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. 1…Be Prepared<\/strong>.\u00a0 Study the agenda…Spend time getting up to speed so you can anticipate where the discussion will lead, and get some ideas of your own ready to present.<\/li>\n
    2. Keep Things Simple<\/strong>. … Make your points quickly and succinctly, backing them with evidence as necessary. Everyone will appreciate your efforts to keep the meeting moving forward.<\/li>\n
    3. Ask Questions<\/strong>. Look for opportunities to ask pertinent questions….Don\u2019t overdo it though. You don\u2019t want to be seen as a pest who has to talk to be noticed.<\/li>\n
    4. Collaborate. <\/strong>Don\u2019t obsess about your own ideas. Listen to what other people have to say and build on their thoughts.\u00a0 Acknowledge that you\u2019re leapfrogging off someone else\u2019s contribution so no one thinks you\u2019re trying to hog the spotlight or steal the credit.\u00a0 If the meeting time doesn\u2019t allow for serious brainstorming, ask if another session might be scheduled.<\/li>\n
    5. Volunteer. <\/strong>Be willing to implement the ideas and solutions that come out the meeting, even if they\u2019re not your own. You\u2019ll get a reputation as someone people can depend on to get things done.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

       <\/p>\n

      *Reprinted with permission from nationally syndicated columnist Harvey Mackay, author of the New York Times #1 bestseller \u201cSwim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

      For tips on Minutes, see \u201cSecretary\u201d article.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      submitted by Margaret Noser Attending meetings is the least favorite job requirement of every organization.\u00a0 However\u00a0 taking a few specific steps can make meetings more effective and less painful.\u00a0\u00a0 Harvey Mackay, a well-known business advisor and author from Minneapolis, has provided some excellent tips to do just that.\u00a0 With his permission, I have listed his […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":2493,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3361","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/Pawx6I-Sd","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aauwarizona.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3361","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aauwarizona.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aauwarizona.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aauwarizona.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aauwarizona.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3361"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.aauwarizona.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3361\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3364,"href":"https:\/\/www.aauwarizona.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3361\/revisions\/3364"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aauwarizona.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2493"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aauwarizona.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3361"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}