How to carry out formal meetings Some meetings

How to carry out formal meetings Some meetings are more effective than others. The following checklist identifies certain features to consider when planning and holding formal meetings

What to do before the meeting • Check the availability of everyone in your team and make sure you invite them • Create an agenda. It should include details such as the time, date and location of the meeting. It should also list the topics to be discussed • Distribute an agenda to everyone in your team • Ensure the location that you are proposing is not being used by anyone else • Decide who will chair the meeting. The chair will ensure that you achieve the aims of the meeting, start and finish the meeting on time and cover all the topics on the agenda

What to do during the meeting • Welcome everyone to the meeting • Take a note of who is not present • Agree for someone to take the minutes. This person should make a record of what is being discussed and agreed, as well as taking action points • Proceed through the items on the agenda in a clear and logical way • Encourage participation and listen to what other people have to say, while staying on track with what needs to be discussed • At the end of the meeting, summarise the decisions made and agree the actions to be completed by whom and by when • Set a date, time and location for your next meeting

What to do after the meeting • Write/type up the minutes and distribute to everyone in your team, including those who were not present • Carry out the agreed actions