Successful Meeting Planning – Organize, Prepare, Execute

Jan. 24, 2011 - PRLog -- "Alright, everyone, grab a coffee and head to the conference room,” you say brightly, trying to manage enough excitement in your demeanor to herd the sheep into what they’ve routinely come to believe is probably another tedious and meaningless waste of time and productivity. Ugh….


Why do people typically dread attending meetings?  Maybe there are too many unfocused discussions, or extraneous action plans, or a lack of engagement or inspiration.  Perhaps they don’t believe the team is getting anything out of these meetings but endless droning and mind-numbing monotony.  With so many unnecessary or unproductive meetings in the schedule, how can anyone accomplish their tasks? According to an MCI Conferencing White Paper titled Meetings in America, “Most professionals attend a total of 61.8 meetings per month.”

As we are all short on time these days, here are some tips for making your own meetings more productive:


•Identify the purpose of the meeting – People are busy. Far too busy to sit in a meeting that has no real purpose or relevancy to them. So identify why you need to meet. What do you hope to achieve with the meeting? The clearer you are about your purpose and goals, the more successful the endeavor will be.

•Organize the plan for the meeting – Now that you know where you want to go, you must create the necessary roadmap to achieve your goals. Is it goal-setting, brainstorming, problem-solving, team-building or educational? Regardless of the type of meeting, being organized will capture the attention of your participants and help keep them fully engaged in your subsequent outcomes.


•Communicate effectively – You have taken the time to prepare for the meeting, and now you must let the attendees prepare, too. It is best to distribute the agenda and any relative handouts 48 hours in advance of the meeting.  This will allow the guests to think about the issues at hand and prepare appropriately to be productive participants.


•Preparation – As the organizer, plan to arrive early to set up the space and address any problems that might arise. I know of one event where the organizers had arrived the day before to set up the meeting room, and it worked to their benefit when they were locked out of the building the next morning. Once everyone got inside, the room was ready to go, so the event hosts were able to hold the meeting without a glitch.


•Punctuality – Set an agenda and stick to it! The fastest way to lose interest in your meeting is to let it run amuck. Do not wait an extra 10 or 15 minutes to start your meeting because not everyone has arrived. You need to begin promptly when you say you will and end when promised out of courtesy for those guests who made the commitment to be there promptly. This will build a strong rapport with attendees and maintain valued respect from your audience.


•Eliminate Distractions – Encourage all guests to turn off their electronic devices at the start of the meeting. It is important that all attendees are engaged in the session and courteous to other members by offering their undivided attention for the pre-determined timeframe.


•Stay on Topic – We all know what it’s like when that one person in the audience takes the whole group way off-topic. As the meeting organizer, it is your job to reel the discussions back in and keep them relevant to your goals. Phrases such as “perhaps we could discuss that next time,” or “we’re getting crunched for time, so we need to move on to XYZ” will help you stay on point.


•Clearly Outline the Execution Plan – As part of your meeting wrap-up, it is important to identify the action items and who will be responsible for each item. Clearly communicate the due dates of each phase of the project so that each committee member understands the importance of upholding their end of the bargain.


•Next Meeting – Identify when the team will come together again. How will people communicate in the interim? These things will help keep tasks on target and ensure that deadlines are met.

Meetings are a valuable means to accomplishing more than we could ever hope to do individually. As a manager, leader or group organizer, you are the influence – you must structure a game plan to create the energy that motivates and incites the action.  Following these tips will help you build long and lasting relationships with your team members, and you will take them far on the road to success.

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Big Buzz Idea Group is an event management and meeting planning company in Chicago, Illinois. We are a one-stop premier Chicago event planner, corporate meeting specialist and festival consultant firm, and we appreciate the opportunity to produce your next memorable event. Big Buzz Idea Group is dedicated to delivering superior value without sacrificing quality, ensuring that clients receive unparalleled service, on budget and on time.