| Top 3 Methods For Successful Meeting Planning |
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| Written by Brenda Clifton |
| Friday, 12 March 2010 11:02 |
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When you're thinking of successful or effective corporate meeting planning, what it really comes down to is planning, but planning loose. If you've thought to allot exactly X amount of minutes to this subject, and X amount of minutes to that subject, you're not actually going to get anywhere with the discussion, since you may be just seconds away from a breakthrough only to have to stop discussing it because you're out of time. Breakthroughs aren't made on a restrictive time frame. So plan your meetings around just one or two goals or subjects, know what points you're hoping to make during the meeting, and just leave it at that. Don't write an itinerary, don't try to solve every single problem the company has all at once, just stay focused on what you need to get done and let the meeting develop at its own pace. Here are a few things to keep in mind when you plan your next meeting. Get Real Are you really going to solve every single problem your company has in a single meeting? Of course not. Keep a meeting focused on ONE subject, not several. MAYBE two subjects, but only move on to the second after you've resolved the first. You need to make major decisions at these meetings, and the fewer the better, since you want the best decisions, not rush jobs. Know what you're going to do and say at the meeting, and do it, don't go nuts with it or you'll be in the conference room for the rest of the week. One Idea At A Time Set one goal, let your people know what that goal is, and achieve it during the meeting. Just one goal. If you give them a dozen things to do, they won't know where to start, so give them just one goal and they'll march right towards it over the course of the meeting. Again, it's all about focus and simplicity. When we over-complicate everything, it tends to show a lack of confidence, as if more planning will make up for a lack of skill or competency. To a true master, everything is made simple. Meet Around Noon Or whenever the mid-day is for your enterprise. You don't want to do it in the morning or else you have a number grumpy people who really don't want to be here. After lunch, everyone gets slow and sluggish having just had big meals. Around the mid-day is when your people have had their coffee, they've woken up, and they're ready to actually provide their own recommendations while at the same time listening during the meeting, as opposed to just zoning out looking forward to their first cup of joe. About the Author: Before you start an event or corporate meeting, go to The Meeting Planner's site to see if an experienced corporate meeting planner or any Professional event planning services. can help! |