It is true that planning and preparation are the key ingredients for successful meetings. The more time you put in ensuring that your event is well-organized, the more effective it will be.
There are a few steps every participant must follow to prepare for a meeting, whether it is an idea-sharing session or an update on an ongoing project. This article will offer easy-to-follow tips to help you ensure that the meeting you’re attending is productive and efficient.
Start by identifying the purpose of the meeting. Choose the topics that need to be discussed, and then assign the appropriate time slots for each. This will help you stay on track and stop you from getting off-topic. It will also help you determine your meeting length.
Then, gather any material that you plan to share during the meeting. These can be presentation slides reports, slides or any other documents that contribute to the discussion. Be sure these are easily accessible for participants — either by adding them to the invite or by sharing them on your internal communication channel.
Check the list of attendees and determine if everyone who has been invited will be involved in the discussion. If not, you should remove those who have duplicate knowledge or decision-making power. Consider assigning a specific person accountable for each action item.