MEETING IN ADVANCE

• Define the purpose of the meeting: Sometimes the purpose is clearly stated; sometimes it's taken for granted. do you went people to experience something? Learn something? Make decisions? Plan an activity? Consider various activities that will help accomplish your purpose, and structure you meeting to accomplish that purpose. If there is no real purpose, dont' hold a meeting.
• Plan an agenda: One you have an objective, outline the items to be handled during the meeting. List them in the order in which they are to be addressed, and indicate how much time will be spent on each item. Also consider what method will be used for each time, such as brainstorming, buzz groups, cause and effect diagram, etc. This is your agenda.
• Consider your time limit: Meeting lengths vary greatly. How much can be dealt with in the time available? Plan your agenda so everything can be handled within the time allotted.
• Plan for the people who will be involved: Consider who will be present at the meeting. Are they familiar with the business at hand? If not, how can you bring them up to speed? How motivated will they be to participate? Who will be leading the activities? Answering these questions will help determine the activities of the meeting. 
•  Schedule the meeting in an appropriate setting:Plan an atmosphere that will be conducive to participation and productivity. Consider such things as size of room, arrangement of seating, lighting, temperature, and equipment needed. For example, if your objective, is to get small groups of people together to discuss an issue and come up with potential solutions, don't hold the meeting in the auditorium, where small-group discussions are awkward, at best. Instead hold the meeting in the library or cafeteria, where small groups can gather around a table. 
• Follow your plan: During the meeting, work through the agenda items one at a time, being careful to stick to time limits and avoid getting off track. Be flexible enough to adjust your plan if truly needed, but don't allow one item to take over the meeting unless it's warranted. 
• Review decisions made: All agreements made during the meeting should be reviewed and certified at the end of the meeting, such as tasks assigned, chairs appointed, committees formed, etc. Plan steps that need to be taken before the next meeting in order to advance projects undertake.
• Evaluate the meeting: Take a few minutes at the end of the meeting to evaluate how successful the meeting was. What went well? What could be improved upon for the next meeting? Focusing on the process will help all members have a better understanding of what a good meeting should be like and will help ensure that each meeting becomes more effective than the last meeting.

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