How to Prepare For Staff Meetings

By Pace Productivity

Make a formal invitation, usually in person or by telephone at least two weeks in advance.

Send a follow-up confirmation note and agenda after attendance has been confirmed.

Send a reminder. Have an assistant call to remind attendees about the meeting, or mention it to them yourself, in conversation.

Prepare an agenda in advance to: determine what items you want to cover; communicate to participants what is to be considered and what is expected of them;  create order and control at the meeting; and establish standards by which the success of the meeting can be measured.

Circulate your agenda in advance. If you can’t, write it on a flip chart or white board before participants arrive. The agenda should include: The purpose of the meeting, stated in one succinct sentence; the start time and finish time; meeting location, including street address, floor, room number and map if necessary; a list of who will be attending and their titles; individual items to be covered; and action items on each

Put simple announcements at the beginning of the meeting, to warm up the group. Start and finish the meeting with positive items. If someone else is preparing the agenda, approach them beforehand to make sure your items are on the list for discussion.

Schedule a meeting for late in the day if you want it to be short. Business has a tendency to move quickly as it approaches five o’clock.

Created by Pace Productivity, a time-management consulting company in Toronto, Canada. Visit the company’s website at www.getmoredone.com.