Tips for Preparing for an Upcoming Meeting or Event

We've all heard the old clichés that stress the importance of being prepared and most of them have a bit of truth. For any office professional, the element of preparedness (or lack thereof) can be what makes the difference between a successful work day and just barely fumbling through. It gets even more complicated when trying to be sure you are 100% prepared for a meeting or event that is fast approaching. While you can drive yourself crazy by attempting to prepare for every possible situation that may arise, there are a few quick methods that will help ensure you have prepared yourself to the best of your ability.

Perform a Prep Session

The effectiveness of anyone's performance depends largely on being prepared from the smallest of viewpoints. A quick prep session on the background of a company or group you have scheduled a meeting with could have a drastic impact on the outcome of that meeting. Briefing yourself on any of the pertinent information concerning what will be discussed is a great way of ensuring you will not leave any important pieces of information out. Oftentimes, meetings or events are scheduled months in advance and it is unrealistic to assume that you will remember all of the small details behind the reason for the meeting without giving yourself this quick refresher.

I have found this is also effective in taking phone calls. For example, if you receive a return call from someone you phoned days ago, refreshing yourself on the nature of the call will only work to your advantage in making an impression on the person on the other line.

Give Attendees a Refresher of Their Own

If planning a regularly scheduled meeting (i.e. a monthly staff meeting), it is useful to dispense the minutes noted at the previous meeting to all of the attendees. This is an effective way for people to be reminded of what the last meeting consisted of, so that they may bring up any concerns they have without repeating issues from the previous meeting. Also, ensure you have all necessary supplies such as pens, paper for notes, water, etc... so that the duration of the meeting is not interrupted by the need for such items.

Conduct a Last-Minute Review of the Literature

It is equally important to proof all pieces of literature, reports or presentations before introducing them. This is a great way of rectifying any errors that may exist in the materials. In generating or gathering the materials for a meeting it is likely that errors were overlooked, whether created by you or not. Obviously, proofing and evaluating these pieces is a process that is done when initially generating or gathering the materials but re-evaluating the pieces with a fresh eye, at a date closer to the meeting/event will ensure that they are grammatically accurate and that they convey a well-articulated message. Using the medium of printed literature, reports and presentations can be a highly effective way of conveying a message at a meeting or event. Ensuring the message is not tainted with typos, errors or any type of overall indiscretion is the main goal in preparing yourself for an upcoming meeting by conducting a last-minute review.

When considering all that is involved in our daily work environment (e-mails, phone calls, memos and commuting...) taking a few minutes to prepare yourself and refresh your mind is essential when attempting to achieve the goal of pulling off a professional, informative and effective meeting or event.