Successful Meeting

A successful meeting has three phases:

Phase 1: Preparation

Always ask a few questions before you start:

• What is the main goal? (the email Subject:)
• What are the topics of the meeting?
• What are the expected results for each topic?
• Who has to join the meeting? (the email To:)
• Who will be interested? (the email Cc:)
• Can the goal be achieved in a different way?
• Are the selection of topics and participants homogeneous? Is it possible to split the meeting? To refactor the meeting?

Actions:

• Check that the meeting room is available, and reserve it. Sometimes the room will be occupied by your boss, and he has a more important meeting than you.
• Reserve 15 minutes more time than you think you'll need.
• Check that all the equipment you need is available.
• Invite the participants directly and at least one day before the meeting.
• Check the schedule of the participants to make sure they can make it.
• Inform any interested people about the meeting.
• Include an agenda with the invitation.
• Assign the recorder and moderator.

The result of the preparation is the Agenda.

The Agenda contains:

• Place
• Time and date, duration
• Participants
• Topics with description, goal, owner and estimated time
• Moderator
• Recorder
• If a regular meeting, the last minutes of the meeting and the goals achieved and issues still open
• A hint about the penalty if a participant is late

And keep in mind:

• Fewer participants is better.
• If a goal is to generate work, invite those who must do this work, or at least one who will be responsible.
• Fewer topics is better.
• Describe the topics in two to five sentences.
• Describe the goal for each topic along with any related information.
• Always assign a topic owner.

Phase 2: During the meeting

Actions:

• Welcome all participants, and say a few words about the main goal.
• If it's a regular meeting check the last goal list.
• Assign work only to the participants. A participant can delegate work, but is still himself responsible to see that it gets done.
• Be as brief as possible.
• Moderate the meeting.
• Avoid off-topic discussions.
• Avoid discussions that are relevant only to some of the participants. Suggest an action item, that these participants discuss the issue off-line.
• Avoid long discussions over complex issues. Move the discussion to its own meeting, with its own agenda.

Ending:

• Make a summary of the goal achieved and the results.
• Thank the participants.

Phase 3: After the meeting

Actions:

• Stay for a few minutes for further questions. These questions may be off-topic, but they can be helpful in planning the next meeting.
• The recorder should write and publish the minutes immediately after the meeting.
• The minutes are similar to the agenda, except they include the actual participants, start, duration, and results.

-- AndreasSchweikardt

A SuccessfulMeeting will not lead to the creation of any MeetingHaiku.

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CategorySuccess