Effective Meetings
Presented
by
Dr Shilpee A Dasgupta

What is an effective meeting
• An effective meeting is a meeting that serves certain desired purposes in an optimal way
• Effective meetings are among the core tools for making things happen in any organisation

Why meetings are important
• To inform
• To consult
• To take a decision

Meeting goals and purpose
• Identifying problems and solve them
• Brainstorming ideas to gather information
• Organising and decision making
• Completing and planning for implementation

Effective Meeting Tips
•

Don’t Meet
Avoid a meeting if the same information could be covered in a memo, email or brief report

•

Set Objectives for the Meeting
Before planning the agenda, determine the objective of the meeting. The more concrete your objectives, the more focused your agenda will be

•

Provide an Agenda Beforehand
Your agenda needs to include a one-sentence description of the meeting objectives, a list of the topics to be covered and a list stating who will address each topic for how long. Follow the agenda closely during the meeting Effective Meeting Tips
• Assign Meeting Preparation
Give all participants something to prepare for the meeting, and that meeting will take on a new significance to each group member
• Assign Action Items
Don’t finish any discussion in the meeting without deciding how to act on it
• Examine Your Meeting Process
Don’t leave the meeting without assessing what took place and making a plan to improve the next meeting

Mechanics of the Meeting
• Plan & Preparation
– Before the Meeting
– During the Meeting
– After the Meeting

Goal Clarification
• Why is the meeting called?
• What is the Objective to be Achieved?
• What is the Agenda (Issues to be discussed)?
• Timing & Duration?
• When & Where will the meeting take place?
• Who all are to be invited?
• How all are to be communicated?

Role