Is this possible? Can there be meetings people actually WANT to attend? Yes, there can! I have led many of them.

There are simple but powerful factors that make meetings effective. In this article, I would like to focus on just one: The Meeting Outline.

The Meeting Outline is a simple but critical component to design a meeting for success. It should be completed BEFORE scheduling the meeting. The core elements are:

• What is the issue or opportunity behind the meeting (WHY are we having the meeting?) If you cannot answer this, do not have the meeting!
• What kind of meeting is it? Informational only – do not have a meeting. Find another way to share the information. Bring people together for data-gathering and decision-making.
• Who should attend and why? Only the people directly involved in the issue at hand should be invited.
• Who will make the decision? Make this clear up front so people do not get the wrong impression.
• Is there pre-work needed? Get people at the same level of knowledge before attending the meeting.

Think of the increase in productivity if (1) you do not hold meetings that you do not need and (2) every meeting you have accomplishes something for your business in an efficient and inclusive manner.

If you would like to increase the productivity in your business by holding effective meetings, contact gayle@gaylenoakes.com to learn the other aspects needed that make all your meetings accomplish their intended result.