Meeting of the Minds

Three tips for running an effective meeting:

• have an agenda with a goal printed at the top of it;
• have a time limit for the meeting, if not for each agenda topic;
• make sure all attendees are clear on the action items they are leaving the meeting with.

Three tips for being an effective participant:

• limit your notes to your own to-do items unless you are the designated notetaker;
• if you are one who tends to say too much in meetings, limit your contributions to three comments or questions; if you are one who tends to say too little, try to make at least three contributions, however small, before the end of the meeting
• listen! listening is a form of participation that counts twice as much as speaking if you do it well; as an active listener you may be called upon to restate what has or has not been said if the conversation goes in circles.

Three tips for being an effective meeting observer:

• listen! be aware of the group dynamics;
• be aware of where the conversation is going with regard to the stated goals or agenda for the meeting;
• take detailed notes from a "stranger's" perspective; make sure your notes are clear with regard to what has been decided, what action items were assigned and to whom, and what issues remain unresolved.

Planning and running a good meeting--even a short team round-up or regroup--is an art! Running a bad meeting is SO EASY. Have your meeting be a good one!