Many of us spend much of our times in meetings.  Having attending numerous meetings as a facilitator and participant, I would like to share the following 10 quick tips for running effective meetings:

1. Designate a Facilitator:  Whether it’s a member of the group such as the Board President or the organization brings in an outside facilitator, their role is to help keep the group focused and moving forward.

2. Develop an agenda before the meeting:  At the core of a good agenda are items that require the group to make decisions.  Project how much time each item will take and assign the outcome you hope to accomplish.

3. Stick to the agenda during the meeting:  Many temptations exist to stray off topic.  Stay focused to get the work done you need to get done and record other ideas brought up at the meeting for future meetings. 

4. Record decisions made:  Have a notetaker at every meeting to take minutes and have them record each decision, who is responsible for implementing it and if any future actions need to happen.

5. Start and end on time:  When groups slide from starting and ending on time, people loose motivation for attending meeting.

6. Set groundrules:  Groundrules help ensure civility between members. Some examples:  Respect each other, one conversation at time, be constructive.

7. Address conflict when it comes up:  Dealing with conflict can be challenging but not dealing with it and letting it fester can potentially be worse.

8. Use graphics:  Have someone scribe notes on a dry-erase board or poster paper to visually record people’s thoughts.

9. Evaluate:  Occasionally ask what about the meetings work well and what could be improved…experiment with ways to improve meetings.

10. Thank people for attending: If folks feel appreciated and valued, they are more likely to show up at future meetings, especially if they are a volunteer.

I’m leading three upcoming trainings at the LA Eco-Village on April 1, May 19 and June 15 related to running good meetings and invite you to attend.