288 / COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR TEAMRunning briefings
and meetings
Organizing a meeting
Be clear about the purpose of any
meeting before you start planning.
Invite only those people who are directly
related to your goals, and make sure
you include all the key decision-makers.
Once you’ve arranged a time, place, and
date that is convenient to everyone, send
them all an agenda, making clear the
meeting’s theme and goals. In putting
together the agenda, consider the
following questions: What do we need to
do in this meeting? What conversations
will be important to those who attend?
What information will we need to begin?Briefings and meetings are an inescapable part of business life. They
are a means of sharing information, initiating strategies, perpetuating
a culture, and building consensus around business goals. Done well,
they’re good for business and good for morale.Prioritize the most important items
so they will be discussed early on in the
meeting, and assign a certain amount
of time for each agenda item.ASK YOURSELF...
Do I need to call a meeting? YES NO1 Do I need to motivate people, giving them a jump-start
to get going? ......................................................................................2 Do I need to share general company or market information
with people to help them do their jobs? ..........................................3 Do I need to initiate a new program or project? .............................4 Do I wish to introduce people to one another, so they can
benefit from each other’s experiences? ..........................................Giving a briefing
Briefing is a process by which you
provide information to those who need
it. As with any form of communication,
think about your audience, your purpose,
and the occasion. Find out all you can
about the audience, and what they hope
to take away from the session. State
your purpose clearly and simply at the
beginning of the meeting: “The purposeUS_288-289_Running_Briefings.indd 288 30/05/16 3:05 pm