BEFORE the Meeting:
Step 1: Decide on a Need and Objective
Step 2: Determine the Attendees and Draft an Agenda
Step 3: Define the Logistics and Schedule the Meeting
DURING Your Meeting:
Step 1: Welcome and Logistics Check
Step 2: Go through the Agenda
Step 3: Capture Effective Meeting Minutes
Step 4: Close with a Review
AFTER Your Meeting:
Step 1: Distribute Meeting Minutes
Step 2: Follow up on Actions
So to put this into perspective for everyone, here are my tips for every phase.
BEFORE the Meeting:
Tip #1 is to decide on the needs. This sounds straightforward but the first question you should ask yourself before setting up a meeting is do we really need to have this meeting? and think very very hard about that question and about whether you can write an email, set up a quick call or use some other channel instead of setting up a full official meeting.
Tip #2 is to define the objective, so every single meeting should have an objective associated with it. And the objective should be determined before you set up the meeting and not during.
Tip #3 is to assign a leader and every single meeting should have a designated leader who moderates the meeting and that leader is responsible facilitating the communication between all attendees.
Tip #4 is to manage your virtual logistics to ensure that everyone has access to the virtual collaboration tool that you’re going to use. In addition choose a time zone friendly time/date.
Tip #5 is to send the invites agenda and the reminders so send out the agenda ahead of time and include it in the calendar. It is always a best practice to include the agenda with the invite so that individuals have time to prepare.
DURING the Meeting:
Tip #1 Join Early: It’s always a good practice to join your virtual meeting a few minutes early allowing you to check that the tools are working correctly and gives you some time to make some adjustments if needed.
Tip #2 Go through a welcome note to catch everybody’s attention and welcome the joiners by their names if you can. You may wait for few moments for late comers which can be very important key people and keep the wait time as short as possible.
Tip #3 If you are to record the call ALWAYS ask for the attendees permission. This is a very sensitive point and its the right of the attendees to approve the recording.
Tip #3 Start with the objective, state the outcome. This makes sure that everyone’s on the same page as you kick start the meeting – then walk through the agenda and what you expect them to talk about or discuss
Tip #4 Remain on topic and and respect everyone’s time.
Tip #5 if anyone joins really late avoid repeating any information and carry on with your meeting.
Tip #6 Always type up a notes of any decisions or ideas that have been discussed in the meeting so that your team can have a quick reference to go back to.
Tip #7 Have a short review at the end
AFTER the Meeting:
Tip #1 Send the meeting minutes, distribute the meeting minutes to everyone who attended the meeting as well as anyone who missed it and any others who need to be informed such as other stakeholders.
Tip #2 Ask for updates. Follow up with your team on all the next steps including action items risks and issues that you listed and the meeting minutes and you sent after your meeting.
Tip #3 Document the latest status and track the status of all your action items drifts and issues that are assigned to your team.
Hisham Mezher 