Make Your Meetings Matter

Root canals. A trip to the DMV. Yet another #$^& meeting. Each elicits grumbles, gripes, and grasping at any possible excuse to get out of it.

However, you can turn those frowns upside down, at least when it comes to meetings you host. By conducting your meetings in a mindful way, from initial planning all the way through post-event follow-up, you will not only dramatically improve your productivity, you will also make great strides in building stronger relationships with your key constituents. As a result, you will ultimately see a positive impact to your influence and bottom-line.

How can you make your meetings matter more? Do these critical items each and every time you host a professional gathering:

• Define its purpose. Why are you getting people together in the first place? Is it merely to make your life easier? Meetings should only take place when you are discussing complex issues that cannot otherwise be reasonably handled over email and other methods of collaboration.

• Identify must-have attendees. Don’t be lazy when it comes to the invitee list. In fact, consider indicating on the invitation why each person is being asked to attend and what they will be contributing to the discussion. Your colleagues will appreciate you acknowledging their unique value and will be more prepared to have meaningful discussions.

• Craft the agenda. Document meeting logistics,