This document provides 10 tips for holding effective meetings. It recommends determining if a meeting is necessary, defining goals, sending a timed agenda in advance, pre-aligning participants on controversial topics, choosing an inspiring location, distributing pre-read materials, allocating roles like facilitator and timekeeper, capturing actions during the meeting, and following up after by issuing actions and next steps. The overall tips are about proper planning, facilitation, and follow through to make meetings productive.

1. Effective Meetings
10 Tips

2. 1. First, ask
“Do I need to hold this meeting"?
Is there an alternative?

3. 2. Define your goals for the meeting

4. 3. Put together a “timed” agenda

5. 4. Don't overcrowd the agenda

6. 5. Pre-align people if you anticipate a lot of
opposition or ambivalence to your meeting.

7. 6. Location. Make sure that you book an
inspiring venue / meeting room . . .
. . . OK – this might be a bit extreme !

8. 7.Send “Pre-read”. Avoid wasting time by just
sharing information at a face-to-face meeting
Send background materials at least 5 working
days before the meeting.

9. • 8. Allocate roles. Decide if you are going to be
the facilitator. Allocate responsibility for
timekeeping, taking actions. If the group tends
to be very polite and avoids confrontation,
then appoint somebody to be devils advocate.
Give somebody licence to ask the difficult
questions and disagree. You need to rotate
this role so that somebody does not become
labelled as a trouble maker!

10. 9. Capture Actions.
Use a flip chart
and visibly capture
“as you go”

11. 10. Issue Actions &