[Karen Loughman]

I'm hoping I can get some tips for making meetings end on time. We have limited meeting space at my office and frequently have a problem when one meeting runs over, the next one doesn't have a place to meet! I think it's quite rude to the meeting guests of both meetings when that happens. Does anyone have good ideas to keep meetings running on time? What do you all do if it does run over?

[Kyle.Sheldon.Chandler]

Karen,

Is it possible to have some sort of nudge for the first meeting, if they are running over? Perhaps, an admin popping in and slipping a note to the leader of the meeting? Something unobtrusive?

[Robin Holtson]

Ah, so many meetings, so few conference rooms. Does one person reserve the conference rooms, or do your employees handle their own reservations? If you have someone who is responsible for scheduling the conf. rooms, then I would recommend that he or she handle this. If the meeting has passed the 5 minute mark, then knock on the door, enter quietly, and make eye contact ONLY with the meeting's chairman (don't look around the room to see who's there, or wave to your friend!). Polietly tell the chairman that the next group has assembled, and they are waiting to begin. Tell him or her that you are trying to find another conference room - this is important. Nine times our of ten, this is all you need to do to get people to vacate. And, some of the participants will even thank you! The same recommendation applies to whomever is chairing the next group's meeting.