3.2 Do's and Don'ts of an Effective Meeting

Effective meetings take a bit of experience and practice. Management of people can be very difficult; great leaders hone their soft skills to move the team forward as a collective unit. They earn the respect of their team members and peers with a consistent professional approach to all situations.

During meetings, good leaders follow the do's and don'ts as highly skilled managers. These are suggested rules to follow while running or participating in meetings. Even if you have not accumulated the experience and skill set, these rules help you project yourself as a professional in the business while running the meeting.

DO

Start and end on time.

Have a set of tasks or decisions on the agenda. Never just "wing it."

Stick with the time on the agenda; do not overrun, if possible.

Give clear direction on task items, and ask to repeat it back from the individuals if there is confusion.

Be direct and ask questions when necessary.

Do not cut people off, unless time is a factor.

Avoid jumping from one agenda item to another too quickly.

Do not jump to conclusions too quickly.

Always ask for opinions – try to coax them from others who do not normally speak out. Ask for feedback on a decision.

If too many people talking at the same time, ask for the floor and direct conversation, one at a time.

DON'T

Be late all the time.

Allow meetings to run over the ending time.

Show favoritism in the meeting to individuals.

Lack attention or energy in the meeting.

Try to talk over someone else. Let each person speak and make his or her statement.

Allow multiple conversations over the topic. This makes too many people debating and talking at the same time.

Never get emotionally involved as the chair; just stay the course that needs to be completed.

Do not ever assign tasks as punishment for breaking rules; this gives a negative feeling toward the project or meeting.

Do not ever pile up too many rules for the meeting; it makes it harder for people to remember them.

]]>