Running any business will inevitably involve the organisation of meetings; be it with employees, potential suppliers or customers. Now that you are in business, time is valuable and when you do arrange a meeting, you need to make sure it is as productive as possible.
Turner Little have put together a few basic considerations that will ensure your meetings achieve what they were set out to:
- Outline objectivesIn order to conduct a successful and productive meeting, it’s vital that you are clear about what you are trying to gain and achieve from the meeting. It’s not only important that you know the purpose, but also the other members in the meeting. Common objectives that meetings are used for include:
- Making key business decisions
- Sharing important company information with the team
- Generating fresh ideas to benefit the company
- Solving issues or problems
- Gaining commitment for a project or idea
- Selling a new idea, product or service
- Introducing a new employee
Having the objectives of a meeting clear in your head will enable you to make effective decisions as to when, where and how long the meeting should be, and most importantly who should attend.
- Prepare an agenda
Another key element in the preparation of the meeting should be an agenda. An agenda should state the date and time of the meeting, and outline the structure and direction of the meeting for those attending. It should be sent to attendees in well in advance of the meeting, so employees can prepare and check that they have completed any actions that may be required from previous meetings. Typically, an agenda should include:
- Title; with date, time and location
- Objectives
- Attendees
- Discussion points (with names of the person responsible for each point)
- Take Control
All meetings need to be controlled and many have a formal arrangement; a Board meeting for example where the directors of a company meet, will inevitably include a Chairman. Similarly a Shareholder meeting will appoint a Chairman. If it is a meeting with a supplier or customer this will not apply but it’s still essential that the meeting is controlled, so that overbearing individuals present do not monopolise the meeting at the expense of others. It’s important that each participant has a chance to contribute and feel involved.
- Timing
Starting a meeting late sends out a wrong message; that it’s ok to be late. It does not create a positive and productive environment and it’s annoying for those who did arrive on time. Whilst in an ideal world the meeting should last just long enough to carry out its objective and should be fairly predictable in terms of how long it lasts, meetings can and do overrun so plan for it.
- Provide Refreshments
Offering tea, coffee or even water is the hospitable thing to do at any meeting, but going a little further can have a positive impact on the success of the meeting. Providing a little snack such as cake, biscuits or fruit can make those in attendance feel more welcome, and more energized and motivated to put ideas forward.
Turner Little
Turner Little was founded in 1998 and it has since become a well-established UK based professional Company Registration Agents, Registered Bank Intermediaries and Business Consultants, as well as Trust providers.
