How to Plan a Successful Business Meeting

The most successful business meeting is one that has been well planned in advance. Following these steps will help to make sure that your next meeting is effective and efficient--one that exceeds your organization's expectations.

Instructions

1. Define your long-term goals. Before any meeting, it important for you and your team to understand the big picture. What are the true objectives of your team or project, and how do they fit into the overall strategy for your business?

2. Understand the specific objectives of this particular meeting, within the overall goals of the team. What are the two or three critical actions or decisions that need to be made in this meeting?

3. Write out an agenda including the objectives of the meeting. Prioritize the objectives so that the team discusses the most important items first. Include a timeline for the project, if applicable.

4. Contact the team members who are most critical to the meeting's objectives to get feedback on your agenda and timeline. Make adjustments as necessary.

5. Deliver copies of the agenda to each team member before the meeting--preferably a full business day in advance to allow team members time to review and comment as necessary.

6. Review the objectives and agenda with the team at the beginning of the meeting. Follow the agenda closely throughout the meeting, being certain to accomplish the key tasks.

7. At the end of the meeting, recap the decisions made and the next actionable steps for the team. Take notes and send them to the team afterward, including information about which team members are responsible for the next steps. These notes and next steps will be helpful in preparing the team's next meeting.