Effective Meeting Management: How to Meet With More Success

This article is sponsored by Quill Office Supplies, a proud supporter of OfficeArrow. You can also visit the Quill community right here on OfficeArrow.

Attending meetings is a way of life in almost every business, large and small. Perhaps you conduct a number of different meetings in a typical work week, or maybe you attend very few meetings yourself but yet, it's part of your job to help plan and coordinate upcoming meetings for your boss.

Below, you'll find several tips that will assist you in making business meetings more successful:

1. Establish a place to meet and make sure everyone's informed.

It doesn't matter whether the meeting will be held in someone's office, a large conference room, or offsite. One of the most important things you can do, and certainly one of the most obvious, is to make sure that you pick a meeting location that will be available and will accommodate all attendees. If it's a conference room, chances are it may need to be reserved in advance. Also, once you have the meeting location and date confirmed, be certain that all attendees are notified of the exact date and starting time of the meeting via email or memo.

2. Prepare an outline.

Everyone in business is extremely busy, so it's important to create a game plan by writing out an agenda in advance. This helps to ensure that the time at the meeting is spent well. Taking a few moments ahead of time to prepare an outline will provide you (or your boss) with a working script that can help make the meeting proceed more smoothly and more efficiently. The outline should include each of the following: an overview of what will be discussed at the meeting, how long the meeting is expected to last, and a timeframe for each item on the meeting agenda.

3. Create take-aways.

Successful business meetings often include printed documents that attendees can refer to during the meeting and then take away from the meeting. These documents drive home the key points discussed at the meeting, helping to reinforce important ideas.

4. Arrange to have any electronic equipment you may require.

Overhead projectors, multi-media presentation systems and other electronic bells and whistles can add immensely to the impact and success of your meeting. Determine well in advance of your meeting what equipment will be needed, reserve it to ensure availability, and also make certain it is in good working order.

5. Use the right products to enhance presentations.

Another aspect of planning for a successful meeting involves being able to present ideas with the most impact possible. Oxford® brand offers a wide range of portfolios, report covers and other innovative, high quality presentation products that will add a finishing touch to documents and help make a great impression at every business meeting.

Have you seen what's new on the Quill community, Office Living? Check it out!