Time Management

Prepare For Meetings

• Try to invite people on two to three different occasions to ensure their attendance;
• Make a formal invitation, usually in person or by telephone at least two weeks in advance.
• Send a follow-up confirmation note and agenda after attendance has been confirmed.
• Try for a reminder. Have an assistant call to remind attendees about the meeting, or mention it to them yourself, in conversation.
• As the chairman, preparing an agenda in advance helps you to;
  • Determine what items you want to cover;
  • Communicate to participants what is to be considered and what is expected of them;
  • Create order and control at the meeting;
  • Establish standards by which the success of the meeting can be measured.
• Circulate your agenda in advance. If you can't, write it on a flip chart or white board before participants arrive. The agenda should include:
  • The purpose of the meeting, stated in one succinct sentence;
    e.g. "To review and agree details of the annual budget";
  • The start time and finish time;
  • Meeting location, including street address, floor, room number and map if necessary;
  • A list of who will be attending, and their titles;
  • Individual items to be covered, and action items on each
• Put simple announcements at the beginning of the meeting, to warm up the group.
• Start and finish the meeting with positive items.
• If someone else is preparing the agenda, approach them beforehand to make sure your items are on the list for discussion.
• Consider starting meetings at oddball times, such as 10:08 am.
• Schedule a meeting for late in the day if you want it to be short. Business has a tendency to move quickly as it approaches five o'clock