Key to hold effective meetings
I have heard many senior managers cribbing about how meetings in corporate world are synonymous with eating and wasting time. Holding an effective meeting is not that difficult if some basic points are adhered to. Large organizations generally employ committees to streamline and coordinate their operations. It’s a normal management’s grouse that committees generally fail to serve the purpose for which they have been constituted. But organization needs them for many reasons. Committees, in many cases have added value to the organizations and have served as learning ground for younger lot by way of sharing of knowledge and experience. Such formal forums provide perfect opportunities for organizations to share and disseminate information for the benefit of the company. How an effective meeting is conducted, a lot depends upon the chairperson. Generally, chairperson is chosen with a view to provide direction and purpose to the group. The success of the committee largely depends upon its leader. A weak and timid leader will not be acting as a representative of the management and may not even contribute much in decision making. When such a person is at the helm of affairs, more than one power centers are formed in the meeting and committee finds it difficult to arrive at one decision. Therefore important factors which should be borne in mind before an effective meeting is held are formulated and summed up below. These points are not an end in themselves but they have been just about listed to ignite the minds of readers.
- Well defined goals: Committee’s objective should be defined in writing. This will help committee members understand their role and will have purpose attached to the functioning of the committee.
- Size: Any committee which is having more than ten members will lose its direction and may not remain focused on to the assignment. In the event, where more than fifteen members are required to be drafted in to the committee then role of each member needs to be explicitly defined so that there is no confusion and overlapping of the responsibilities does not take place.
- Selection of chairperson: Conducting of effective meeting depends largely on chairperson’s persona. If the selection of chairperson breeds feeling of partisan and corrupt attitude then the purpose of having and effective meeting is defeated right in the beginning.
- Agenda: wherever possible agenda is required to be circulated before hand so that every committee member comes prepared and contributes its bit towards holding of effective meeting.
- Time is the essence: The most impotent rule to hold an effective meeting is that it should begin and end in specified time, which should be announced right in the beginning.
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