How To Lead A Successful Meeting

Meetings, like or dislike them, are a fact of business life. There will be times during your career when you’ll probably be asked to facilitate or lead a meeting. To some women in business facilitating a meeting comes easily and to others, it can be a nerve-wracking challenge.

I’ve found the key to facilitating a successful meeting is to lead with confidence, enthusiasm and authority. Let me share five ways to run and enjoy an effective and successful meeting.

1. You and everyone attending the meeting must understand your role as the facilitator. To be a truly effective leader, it is important to communicate your duties and responsibilities to the attendees. Clearly understand what is expected of you as the facilitator and on the flip side, have a clear vision of what you expect from the participants. Setting goals and planning out the agenda are vital steps to an effective meeting.

2. As the meeting facilitator, your goal is to clearly define and express how you will physically carry out your role as the facilitator. Make sure all participants know how you intend to conduct the meeting- will it be an informal or formal meeting. An effective meeting is well thought out and organized meeting.

3. A key to an effective meeting is having a clearly defined purpose and goal for the meeting. I’ll say it again; an organized meeting is an effective meeting. As the facilitator, your role is to accomplish the goal of the meeting and to stay focused on keeping the important things important. One way to stay focused is to prepare a written agenda for everyone attending. Leadership reminder: Every effective meeting has a clearly defined purpose and goal.

4. A good facilitator is flexible. There will be times when you’ll have to be flexible enough to change the agenda and yet, structured enough not to lose sight of the main focus. As an effective facilitator, you don’t want to lose control of the meeting but at the same time, you want to allow enough flexibility for the free expression of ideas. A good facilitator can find a balance between flexibility and losing site of the main purpose and goal for the meeting.

5. It is important to encourage participation. An effective leader asks questions and presents scenarios that will encourage the participants to think and participate. Everyone should be able to express themselves in a nonjudgmental and receptive environment. It is up to the facilitator to provide that neutral and cooperative environment.

The bottom line: Truly effective and successful meetings are the ones that are a win-win for all involved. It is the facilitator who sets the tone for the meeting. A positive productive meeting begins with a positive productive leader. When you feel and act confidently about your role as the meeting facilitator, you’ll consistently conduct and deliver productive, positive and successful meetings.

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Sharon Recommends

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