The checklist for conducting an effective meeting: What to do before the meeting, during, and after!

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Conducting effective meetings is an art and a science. It is a multi-faceted challenge and it is a team effort. However, there are still some basic things that we can do to help avoid meeting inefficiencies. 

Before the meeting

• Clarify what are you are trying to accomplish?
• Determine if a meeting is the best way to accomplish this objective?
• If so, does it need to be face-to-face or virtual?
• Who should be in the meeting?
• How long does it need to be?
• Prepare and send clear objectives, agenda, and logistics
• Share supporting material ahead of time
• Send a reminder

During the meeting

• Assign clear roles (facilitator, time keeper, note taker, etc.)Co
• mmunicate objectives and agenda (again)
• Ask if more items need to be added to the agenda
• Communicate how participation will be handled (especially for virtual meetings)
• Engage the participants (ask the observers for their input)
• Ask questions, make suggestions, stay flexible, but don’t hesitate to facilitate (it is your role and your responsibility)
• Stay strategic, think 80/20
• Summarize key decisionsConfirm action items
• Schedule potential follow-ups
• Have participants fill out feedback forms

After the meeting

• Send meeting notes and action items
• Review evaluation forms/feedabck
• Identify lessons learned and future improvements

Additional Resources

• The Effective Meetings workshop