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Apologizing

Tips for More Effective Business Meetings

Shortly

Meetings With Co-Workers

Appoint a Runner

Things to Keep In Mind

• Without someone to steer, the meeting will most certainly veer off course.
• Pick a person who can engage the others and keep them reigned in.
• They should have strong organizational skills that can stay focused amid the chaos.

The Agenda

Things to Keep In Mind

• Stay on the agenda, and do not allow the discussion to digress often or productivity will suffer.
• Be sure that you get a copy of the agenda out to all participants ahead of time.
• Begin working on the agenda for the next meeting as you wrap-up the one you are in.
• Get the meeting participant’s input to set agenda for more active engagement.

Someone’s Rules of Order

Once again we find ourselves looking at yet another way to control the chaos of the meeting room which can often invalidate your time spent inside it.

Things to Keep In Mind Before

• Establish some sort of parliamentary procedure to run the meetings by.
• Be sure everyone who participates in the meeting is aware of said procedure.
• Through this process, be sure everyone has the opportunity to be heard in the meeting.

Be Aware of Time

Another area to keep in mind when it comes to running a meeting, that also can impact the productivity is the length of time that the meeting runs for.

Things to Keep In Mind Before

• Do not allow time to get away from you, or you risk losing the attention of your participants.
• Allotting a time frame for each section of the agenda can help keep things moving smoothly.
• Break up agenda into two meetings if necessary to keep time under control.
• Use short focused meetings to keep everyone on point and on their toes.

Make Sure Something Happens

Things to Keep In Mind

• Be sure that you accomplish something so the meeting is not a waste.
• If you cannot reach your goals, assign tasks to help keep the wheels turning outside the meeting.
• Keep your objectives listed on the agenda in front of you to never lose sight of them.
• Summarize the meeting and all points of interest as you wrap to keep it all in everyone’s focus.

Meetings With Clients

Initial Project Meetings

When you first sit down with a client on a project, you want to hit a few recognizable benchmarks to steer the meeting towards a successful resolution.

Part One – Investigative

In this part of the meeting process you essentially sit back and let the clients do the talking. This is their opportunity to let their enthusiasm for the project run and they tell you everything that they need this project to be. Not only do you want to listen intently as they lay out the project, it may also be a helpful tip to take notes to reference later in the discussion. This further shows that they are being heard and considered, and that you are not being dismissive to their input. Get as many details from them in this stage as you can. Ask the questions, and get the facts all in line so you have as solid an understanding of their needs as possible.

Part Two – Informative

Now we move into the second stage of this approach, where the talking tables effectively turn to you. This is where you take the time in the meeting to tell them just what it is that you can offer them. Go over in detail not only how you can meet their needs, but why you are the best person for the job. You want to return that same sense of enthusiasm for the project that they showed to you, back to them through your presentational portion of this initial meeting. Furthering their excitement for the idea and their confidence that they came to the right person with this project. Here is where you can initially use all of the notes that you took earlier, so that you can cover specific points that they raised.

Part Three – Get Confirmation

Then we transition to the final phase of our three-pronged plan of attack, wherein we wrap up the discussion and get some sort of confirmation from the client to move forward on. You do not want to seem pushy in your approach to this step, but you do want to be sure that the time was not wasted. So do what you can to get an answer from them one way or the other. Whether it is to move forward with a contract and get rolling on the project together, or simply to set up another meeting after you have both had further time to think over the discussion you have just had. Either way, just make a decision. Let the client know that you understand their time and project are important and that you do not want to slow them down. This way you are getting confirmation and instilling in them that you will meet their timetable.

Things to Keep In Mind

• Initial project meetings with clients differ in format and handling than co-worker meetings.
• At first, collect all the data on the project from the client in the beginning of the meeting.
• Take notes to reference later in the meeting and in follow-ups.
• Then cement with the client why you are the person to handle their project.
• Do not end the meeting without a solid answer one way or the other on where things stand.

Follow-up Meetings

Now we are going to talk about how to approach your follow-up meetings to maximize their potential as well, and hopefully yield you the most positive results from these engagements. In these meetings you are generally presenting the client with the ideas that you have come up with based on the initial project meeting and as such, there are certain expectations that will be placed on this meeting that perhaps were not on the first.

Present Your Ideas

The first step in the follow-up meeting that we are going to cover is a reversal of sorts on the last intial project meeting, because in the first step here, you steer the show not the client. This is another chance for you to prove to them why it is they have hired you as you present to them what you have come up with. Be clear as you present your ideas, and even take the time to explain to them why you made the choices that you made. This is also a excellent opportunity to highlight for them what choices you made based on their initial input and the notes that you took. You want to pull out all the stops in your presentation to drive up their confidence level in you and your work. This is razzle dazzle time.

Get Their Feedback

Then we keep the meeting moving forward and we enter the next phase of the process where they give you their feedback on your presentation and approach. Remember that even if they are not as constructive as you would prefer in their critiques that you go with it, and try not to take it personally. Here you still want to steer this part of the meeting as much as possible, meanwhile actually listening to what the client has to say. You do not want them to feel like you are not giving their concerns or ideas the same attention you have expected from them or shown them in the past, so be mindful of how you navigate this terrain. If their concerns are unfounded, simply acknowledge that you understand how they could see this as a potential problem area, and then explain why it will not be an issue here, but never come across dismissive.

Make Sure that Everyone is on the Same Page

Finally, the last stage of the meeting can be entered into, wherein you make sure that everyone is on the same page about everything that has been presented and discussed. As always, clarity is everybody’s friend here, so take care to not let things end in any sort of vague areas. Do a quick summary of the meeting out loud for the sake of everyone attending, so that once again all points of interest are addressed and all decisions can be reiterated. Make sure that everyone knows where the expectations are at this point as you move forward to keep the project on point and progressing smoothly.

Things to Keep In Mind

• Be sure that you steer the follow-up meeting (subtly not forcefully) from beginning to end.
• Apprise the client of your progress, be clear on why you made what choices you made.
• Listen to their feedback, without ego, and never be dismissive of their concerns.
• Never adjourn without clearly noting that everyone is on the same page with all decisions made.

The Wrap

So as your next meeting approaches, remember that with some easy effort and preparation, you can reach the full potential that the meeting has to offer. And the more times that happens, the less likely we are to dread the time we have to spend in them.