BOTHER CONDUCTING MEETINGS?

Heed my advice, don’t bother conducting meetings. At least avoid them as much as you can. You cannot help it if you aren’t the decision maker and you have to attend when the topc management calls for one. If you are the owner or the decision maker, don’t call for meetings because they are huge waste of time. Just get everything done by emails and conference chats or calls. There is no need to walk around and sit in huge circular rooms waiting for the boss and the coffee to arrive. If you still insist on conducting meetings, though, here are some tips:

1. Meeting minutes is passé; meeting in minutes is in: Most meetings are recorded and the details of such meetings are called minutes. The point here is to conduct that meeting and wind it up within minutes. Unless you are in a brain-storming session or training session (which usually have more time), anything else must be kept within strict time limits. Once you have said or discussed what needs to, get out of that room and have everyone else do the same.
2. Go Virtual: It is time to go green and be quick. Web conferences and virtual meeting software will help you accomplish both of that. Not only can you get a lot done quickly and efficiently but you will also not waste much time, money and help avoid a flight from one of the country to the other. With the suite of applications available now for doing meetings in this manner, we are rapidly falling short of excuses too.
3. Don’t meet unless you really have to: Most things don’t need people to huddle together and talk endlessly in circles. If it seems to be the best thing to do, there isn’t really need for it. If you got to make the decisions, just make the decisions. You don’t need everyone’s sanction for most things while you are calling the shots. Let’s say you want to expand and go overseas, why call a meeting for that? Just send a company-wide email. You get the drift, don’t you?