If you’re giving a presentation, it’s a good idea to rehearse a few times before the meeting to make sure everything works well and you’ve got all of your cues down for visual aids.
At this point, you might want to take questions just to make sure everyone’s on the same page about what the meeting will cover. For example, if someone was under the impression that this meeting would cover sales of a new product but that isn’t on your agenda, you could clear that up for them.
Ensure every objective has a “point person” who connects the people who need to be involved and makes sure the necessary resources are available. [2] X Research source Assign progress reports so the point person can stay on top of the objective and make sure everything is going according to plan.
If someone asks a question that veers off-topic, you can gently and politely steer them back. For example, you might say “While candy bar sales are important, right now we’re addressing truffles. If you could hold your question, we’ll get to it when we discuss candy bars. "
Let participants know that if there’s anything they want to discuss at the next meeting, they should email you about it. Set a deadline for adding agenda items to the next meeting so you have time to prepare for it.
For example, if you need to call a meeting to discuss a challenging, potentially heated issue, late-afternoon on a Friday might not be the best time—even if everyone is available then. If some people can’t be there, make sure at least the key players for the projects discussed will be available. Assign someone to take notes and distribute them promptly to anyone who couldn’t attend. [4] X Trustworthy Source Harvard Business Review Online and print journal covering topics related to business management practices Go to source
Shoot an email to potential participants asking if there’s anything they’d like to talk about. Set a deadline for a couple of days before the meeting so you have time to prepare. Put all your agenda requests into a spreadsheet with columns for topic, speaker, and time needed. If you have too many requests for the time allowed, prioritize the items. If something could simply be handled as an email, contact the person who made the request and let them know. Generally, have more time allotted for the meeting than you have scheduled on the agenda. You can always adjourn the meeting early, but leaving extra time makes sure you can answer questions or allow some discussion.
You can also lay these out at the beginning of the meeting. For example, you might say: “In the interest of time, hold questions and comments until after each speaker has presented. If we don’t get to your comment during the allotted discussion time, email me later and we can talk. "
Generally, plan on at least 10 minutes of discussion times for each item on your agenda. You might not need that much time for every item, but some items might need more.
If this is a new or infrequent meeting, you might also send out a reminder an hour or two before the meeting.
For example, you might ask a question that nobody’s asked but that you think is important or was a point the speaker overlooked in their presentation.
Identify the people responsible for each objective and call on them to see if they have anything to add before you move into the discussion phase.
For example, you might frame the meeting as a “fact-gathering mission. " This implies that everyone needs to be heard so you can accumulate as much information as possible and can keep a few participants from monopolizing the conversation. [8] X Research source If someone starts to ramble and get off-topic, you might say “That’s a good point and I’m glad you brought it up. Stop by my office so we can talk about that later, okay?"[9] X Trustworthy Source Harvard Business Review Online and print journal covering topics related to business management practices Go to source
Since people might have ideas come to them at different times, this also allows brainstorming on one topic to continue while the meeting moves on to other things.
Always ask if there are any questions before you move forward to a new agenda item. Make sure everybody’s on board and ready to move on before you leave the last item behind. [11] X Trustworthy Source Harvard Business Review Online and print journal covering topics related to business management practices Go to source
Help members of the meeting understand the scope of the project and how each individual part is an important piece in a much more important whole.
For example, if you have slides and your note-taker is struggling to get them all down as you go through them, you might let them know they can have a copy of the slides to add to their notes.
For example, you might say “With regard to candy bar sales, we’ve determined that new display boxes are needed. Sally Sunshine is in charge of designing those new boxes and will have her designs to Harvey by Wednesday. "
These conversations can help you find better ways to keep people from monopolizing meetings in the future. At a minimum, the person knows that their behavior in the meeting wasn’t acceptable and won’t be tolerated in the future.
If other team members are in charge of different departments or areas, have them submit their reports to you in advance so you can send out the summaries to everyone attending the meeting. If you’re discussing multiple items, you might also want to appoint someone to be in charge of the agenda. They can keep time during discussion periods so the meeting stays on track. [15] X Research source
If you’re using new software, you might also want to send out a second email telling participants who they can contact if they have any problems with download or installation. Make sure you test your own tech set-up in advance as well. Make sure you can access your desktop or any slides you’ve created for the meeting within the meeting software. [17] X Research source
Type questions in chat boxes for you to address Use laptops or desktop computers instead of mobile devices Avoid distracting activities, such as eating or texting
If you’re conducting the meeting from home, choose a quiet room with a door so you don’t have to worry about interruptions.
Keep the ice-breaker light—avoid anything that might make someone feel as though they’re being put on the spot. Acknowledge every participant by name and thank them for attending. You might also ask follow-up questions based on something they’ve said during the ice-breaker. [21] X Research source
If your software has a hand-raising feature, use it! That makes it easier to catch a question or comment. Chat features also allow participants to get a word in without disrupting the flow of the meeting.
If louder, more extroverted participants have been dominating the meeting, ask questions directly to some of the quieter participants to get their input. Look directly at the camera as a substitute for eye contact to show all participants that you’re actively engaged and listening to what they’re saying. [24] X Research source
