How to Properly Plan a Meeting By Stephen Sherburne

Planning a meeting can be a difficult and time consuming task. If planned and carried out successfully can make the meeting a success leaving your attendee’s with more knowledge and or experience then what they came in with. There are 6 simple steps that take you through the planning process to help make your meeting productive.

1. Find the purpose of the meeting. It should answer the question of those who are attending what they want to know, believe, and to be able to do as a result of this meeting.

2. Who should attend this meeting? Invite only the participants who will achieve the goals that you have set out for the meeting to achieve.

3. Decide when the meeting should be held. Once you have decided who the key participants in the meeting will be, decide on a time were the key participants are available and can attend. The length of the meeting is important, make sure it is not to long but, still covers what you need to get done.

4. Decide where the meeting should be held. If it is a first time meeting, then meet at a neutral zone, an off-site meeting place that is not any of the member’s business locations. If you have met more then once and you are hosting the meeting use one of your locations.

5. Once you have decided the above steps you need to make an agenda for the meeting. An agenda is an outline of what is going to be covered in the meeting and the amount of time each item is going to be discussed. This should also be sent out a few days prior to the meeting to give the attendee’s time to prepare and be ready for the meeting.

6. Delegate somebody in the meeting to be taking the minutes of the meeting, or another words take down what is being discussed in the meeting. Either rotate this task or have this task be assigned to a person like somebody’s secretary for example.

Works Cited
1. www.cartoonstock.com/.../jsi/lowres/jsin86l.jpg

2. Walter E. Oliu, Charles T. Brusaw, Gerald J. Alred. Writing That Works: Communicating Effectively on the Job. . Ninth Edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2007: 499-502.