At the mere mention of the word "meeting", do you groan and think : here we go again, another pointless waste of time? Yet another planned 30-minute brainstorm that ends up bogged down for hours in the mire of office politics and deep-seated differences of opinion? And all the while, you fidget impatiently as work piles up on your desk and vital deadlines loom.

Many meetings are unnecessary - often an email, or a five-minute informal chat to a particular individual, will suffice. But there is little doubt that a well-planned, well-organised and time-effective meeting really can produce a group consensus on a project, and a good brainstorming session can contribute some valuable ideas.

So how do you go about organising an effective meeting? Following these simple steps will set you on the right course.

What is the purpose of the meeting?

If the meeting has no clear purpose or direction, there is no point in it taking place. Just because you always meet with Bob, Doreen, Russell and Geoff at 9am on a Tuesday, does not mean that you should press ahead with the meeting anyway even if you have nothing to discuss.

The primary purpose of any meeting is, of course, the exchange of information. At the very beginning of the planning process, asking yourself the following key questions, and formulating detailed answers to them, will make your life a whole lot easier.

• Why am I calling this meeting?
• What exactly am I trying to accomplish?
• What messages do I want to put across?
• How do I want people to feel when they leave?
• When will the meeting take place?
• How long will it last?
• Who needs to attend?
• Where should the meeting take place?
• Do I need any specific materials or equipment?
• What refreshments will I need to provide?

Putting together an agenda for event organizer

As in many things in life, PREPARATION IS KEY. You can't expect to pull a wildly productive meeting out of a hat, with little or no prior preparation. Your agenda should be short and precise, ideally fitting on one A4 page. Your agenda should include the following items :

• The meeting objective. In one sentence, so that every attendee can be in no doubt as to why they are present - for example "to develop a plan to follow up on sales leads more effectively"
• Date, time, length and location of the meeting - and stick to it! If the meeting is to be an external one, make sure everyone knows how to reach the venue, and how long it takes to get there
• Invite the right participants and assign roles to them. Everyone that is there needs to be able to play an active part in the proceedings, or there is little point in them attending. Meeting roles might include timer and recorder.
• List essential items for each participant to bring to the meeting. Never assume that people will automatically know to bring last month's sales figures, or the report they wrote last week! It's a cliché but it's true : to ASSUME makes an ASS of U and ME
• List agenda items clearly and sequentially, in a logical order. Make it professional and businesslike, and your attendees will be more likely to take it seriously. They may even do some prior preparation for the meeting! Most importantly, don't try and fit too much onto your agenda, or you risk committing the cardinal sin of any meeting planner - running over the allotted time.
• Make sure that there are frequent breaks in the programme - people start losing concentration after about 30 minutes. Run over an hour without stopping and people may start getting seriously bored, thirsty or distracted by their need to go to the toilet!

Inviting Attendees

Take another look at your meeting objective, and then invite only those people who are going to be able to contribute something to the meeting. Inviting Bob from Accounts for the sole reason that he always attends company meetings, is wasting both your time and his if he is not really needed. Try and get a mix of people with different skill sets, who can see the issues from different angles. You may well want to include someone with the authority to make decisions on any of the matters discussed in the meeting.

How many attendees?

Seven or eight people is the optimum number. It can be very difficult to get the best out of everyone as the group size approaches 20 people. Don't even think about holding a brainstorming session for more than 30 people, as a few loud-mouthed attendees will dominate, and more retiring types won't have the opportunity to make their voices (and ideas) heard.

Fitting into busy schedules

It's amazing how busy people can suddenly become, whenever the dreaded word "meeting" is mentioned. Wherever possible, give people plenty of notice, so they can keep a window in their timetable. If the meeting has to take place at short notice, ensure the key players and decision makers can attend, or there is little point in proceeding.

An excellent time to hold a meeting is first thing in the morning, before phones start ringing and other distractions come into play. Many people are sharper first thing, after a strong cup of coffee, and before fatigue and workload take their toll on brain cells! Avoid holding meetings directly after lunch, when productivity is likely to be at a low ebb, and think carefully before scheduling meetings for late in the afternoon as people may be itching to get away on time.

Meeting location

This is a key factor to consider. See the other article in this section dealing specifically with choosing a venue for your meeting or conference. Of course, there may be perfectly adequate facilities within your own premises for smaller meetings, and there are major advantages to this - your attendees are probably already on site, and the minimum amount of time is taken out of everyone's working day.

There are, however, many situations when an external meeting venue is preferable. It can often encourage fresher, more creative thinking, and provides a good excuse to get everyone together in an out-of-the-office environment, which can be good for morale and teambuilding purposes. An external location is also a neutral venue away from office politics and prying ears and eyes, ideal for discussion of sensitive or confidential agendas.

Select appropriate materials and equipment for your meeting

Even if it is only a whiteboard, a marker pen and half a dozen notepads, you will require equipment of some kind for your meeting. For an internal meeting, check in advance of your meeting that all required materials are available in-house (again, it pays not to assume!). You might well have some audio-visual equipment needs (e.g. projector screen, DVD player), some of which may already be on site. If not, you will need to consult an external audio-visual company, many of whom list in the Corporate Events Guide - just find the one most appropriate for your area and the equipment you require.

As regards external meeting venues, most hotels and conference centres will have all the equipment you will need available for hire. Failing that, they will usually have an arrangement with a "preferred local supplier" of audio-visual hire equipment.

Needless to say, audio-visual hire companies are experts in their field and will be able to advise you on exactly what equipment you are going to need for the meeting you are planning.

Refreshments

Every meeting needs refreshments of some kind, at the very least tea, coffee, biscuits, juice, and plenty of water. Unless you have an on-site caterer (and even if you do!), consider appointing a specialist local food company to provide food platters, lunches etc. for your delegates. Many caterers specialise in providing food for corporate events of all kinds, and you can find an excellent choice of such companies within the pages of this directory. Make sure you take into account any of your attendees dietary restrictions, and provide e.g. vegetarian options if lunch is being served.

Setting the meeting scene

It is essential to consider the following points :

• Transportation - ensure that everyone knows where the meeting is being held, and they all have the means of getting there
• Seating - for example, a round-table set-up works best for bouncing ideas about. A rectangular table with the leader at the head, is best for decision-making meetings
• Room temperature - selecting a slightly cooler temperature for the empty meeting space is a good strategy, bearing in mind the room will heat up when people arrive. People also tend to be more alert if the room is slightly cool (but not too cold!)
• Distraction avoidance - nothing disrupts attention more than external noise, or something going on outside the window just behind the speaker! Part of selecting the right venue is making sure that the meeting space is quiet, and curtains etc. can be drawn
• Lighting - natural light is good, and try and avoid extremes of light and dark. Make sure the room can be made darker if audio-visual equipment use is required.

And finally ...

It's the little details that can often give a lingering favourable impression of a particular meeting, as well as ensuring its productivity. Consider the following :

• Name cards for delegates
• Use a tape-recorder to record the meeting to ensure the minutes are accurate
• Play teambuilding games or provide brainteasers for some light relief
• Keep the meeting room neat and tidy

Don't forget to evaluate!

Get feedback from participants as to what went well, and what was not so good. By doing this, you will more easily see how to avoid making the same mistakes on subsequent occasions, and you'll soon be well on the way to becoming a truly expert meeting organiser!

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