Encyclopedia of Leadership

HOW TO USE THIS LEADERSHIP TOOL

“If there is a single vital skill the successful manager must have, it is the skill to manage a meeting effectively.”

—Roger Mosvick and Robert Nelson, WE’VE GOT TO STOP MEETING LIKE THIS

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Use the space provided here to plan your opening remarks for the next meeting you will be

chairing.

SECTION 11 TOOLS FORLEADINGMEETINGS 357



Agree on

the Agenda

❑ Distribute the agenda well ahead of the meeting; label as Proposed Agenda.

❑ Obtain the group’s commitment to the meeting plan. (This prevents needless discussion.)

❑ Finalize the agenda with the group at the beginning of the meeting. Reaching consensus can be

relatively easy at this early stage, before disagreements begin or positions become polarized.

➟



Appoint a

Recorder

❑ Handle this step before or at the beginning of the meeting.

❑ Inform the meeting participants as to how the recorder will be interacting with the group. (E.g.,

he or she will contribute a point of view, check the group’s progress on each point, summarize

decisions before moving on to other agenda items, and so on.)

❑ Any differences over the recorder’s summary need to be clarified immediately, before moving on

in the meeting.

❑ The recorder is also charged with writing the meeting minutes.

➟

➟

[☛2.6 Clarifying Purpose, 11.1 Process Cycle]

Step : Summarize how you will review the meeting’s purpose and process.

Step : Outline what meeting participants will need by way of a common information base, and

provide a context for the meeting.