• What is the purpose of the meeting?
• Who will be there, and who is in control?
• Before the meeting
• Smooth running
• Keeping the meeting to time

• "What a waste of time - that meeting was useless!"
• But meetings can be useful if they
  • Are well planned
  • Are well run
  • Have a clear goal
• So the goal is important - not just "let's discuss this"
  • Let's resolve this
  • Let's make a decision
  • Let's work out what options we have
  • Let's plan out the project
• So that you always have a concrete end result: a decision, a plan, a list of options, etc.
• The point?
  • To get different perspectives
  • Combine participants' skills
  • Group ownership of decisions and consequences

• Who has a stake in the outcome?
• Who has a useful contribution to make?
• Who needs to be kept informed?

Who is in control?

• Who will run the meeting?
• Who is the most senior/powerful person there?
• Who will take minutes?

• The venue
  • What is available?
  • What effect are you looking for?
    • Focus of power
    • Equal distribution of power
    • Someone's office - what are the issues?
  • Can you manipulate the venue (rearrange the furniture)?
  • Is there presentation equipment? Whyteboard/overhead/projector/
    • Do you need presentation equipment? Will it just get in the way?
  • Facilities - coffee? Snacks?
• Scheduling the meeting
  • Mornings for creativity
  • Afternoons if creativity is needed elsewhere
  • Making sure key participants can attend
• Layout - who sits where?
• Formal Agenda
• Paraphernalia - pens, paper

• Avoiding digressions
  • Don't allow anything off topic
  • Authoritarian, effective, but not always well received
• Controlling digressions when they arise
  • The Chair can control digressions, using tactful deflection
    • "That's an important issue, but right now we need to focus on..."
    • "Good point. Let's talk about that after we've finalised..."
  • Better, because digressions can be useful in the long run
• Have a plan for dealing with external interruptions
  • Disallow them
  • Allow them under certain circumstances
  • Allow them freely, but retain control and keep them brief
• Make sure everyone gets a say, and no-one dominates unfairly
  • May need a formalised process to do this effectively

• Exercise control over the meeting
• Have an agenda, move to the next point
• Have a schedule - plan out how much time will be spent on each agenda point
• Be prepared to allow extra time for some things if important issues arise
• But know that this is a tradeoff, and other points may need to be cut short