The Best Way to Run A Business Meeting

Some meetings are productive, exciting, and engaging, whereas many can not hold our attention. Whether ending quickly or in short, a business meeting should follow specific rules to bring it to its best conclusion. A business meeting is a gathering of two or more participants discussing an objective, a plan, an initiative, or a conflict resolution.

There are ways to run a business meeting to make it as productive as possible. Here we list the best practices to conduct a successful business meeting.

Agenda Driven

A meeting, when planned, should be agenda-driven at the very onset. The purpose of the meeting should be communicated to the participants before it is scheduled. This can make the meeting productive to a great extent. The agenda helps the participants to focus. Since a business meeting involves all the participants investing their time, the efficient use of duration is also recommended.

Punctuality is the Key

A meeting starting on time is half the battle won. It’s a huge deterrent when any participant in the meeting does not value time. It is suggested that if due for some reason, you are not able to attend the meeting, communicate beforehand to the participants involved. Equally important is to conclude the meeting on time. Unnecessarily long meetings will not be able to hold the participant’s attention. This leads to a loss of efficiency, apart from setting a bad precedence.

Maintain Decorum

In a business meeting, there are possibilities of banters and informal chats. Some fun elements will add to breaking the ice and increasing the engagement of the participants. However, under no circumstances should the decorum of the meeting be compromised. Each participant needs to behave well and be respectful of the other participants and their suggestions. If there are contrasting views, the leader or the moderator should try to maintain decorum.  

Disrespectful language or behavior should be immediately curtailed. Equally important is to speak when it’s your turn and listen attentively to others. Each participant should be allowed to speak up if it is required rather than one person taking all the time.

Encourage Questions

To make the subject clear to each participant, it is advisable to encourage the participants to ask their questions. However, there should be a specific time for questions so that the meeting flow is not disrupted. It is suggested that questions be taken at the end. Questions rekindle the participants’ interest, often giving a new direction to the discussion. Questions can also lead to a healthy conversation and arouse the interest of participants.  

Conclude with an Action Plan

Once the meeting reaches its conclusion, a definitive action plan should be conveyed to the participants. This will leave the participants with goals. Clear goals and deadlines based on the action plan will help achieve the purpose of the meeting. A good follow-up once the action plan is rolled out is the best way to increase the organization’s productivity.  

Take Notes, Circulate the Minutes

Each participant should be encouraged to take notes. It is suggested that a specific person be assigned to write the minutes. The minutes of the meetings should be circulated to the participants right after the meeting. If relevant, the minutes of the meeting should be circulated to the departments concerned as well. Clear, concise, and structured minutes of the meeting will help make the meeting impactful.

End Thoughts

Effective and productive meetings are the ones that a leader effectively steers. It will keep the participants engaged, giving their ideas concrete directions. A meeting is the best way to communicate, engage, resolve an issue, roll out a plan and reach a consensus. However, to make it as successful as possible, the above points should be considered.