The_Essential_Manager_s_Handbook

194 / IMPROVING YOUR SKILLS

Chairing a meeting

Calling a meeting

People often complain about how many

meetings they have to attend. At a time

when few of us have time to spare, going

to a meeting that results in no action is

just a waste of time. So before you call

a meeting, ask yourself: is this meeting

necessary or can it be done by another

means, such as by email or a conference

call perhaps?

Inviting the right people

If you do decide that a meeting is

necessary, next consider who should

attend. This will obviously depend on

the purpose of the meeting. If you are

briefing employees about changes that

are to be made to your department’s

structure, for example, then it’s essential

that everyone attends. If you want views

on how the structure should change, on

the other hand, you might want to invite

just a few key people. Once you have

decided who should attend, send out

notices of the date and place in plenty

of time. Give an indication of how long

the meeting will take, to help your

invitees plan their time.

Chairing a meeting is an excellent way to gain visibility. You don’t

need to have expertise in the subject of the meeting, but you do have to

develop a range of procedural skills. These range from the technical—

how to produce an agenda—to the diplomatic, such as how to keep the

discussion moving and stop participants from speaking for too long.

How to run the

meeting

Ensure that there is someone

to take the minutes and let him

or her know the format you

want the minutes to follow.

At the end of the meeting, remind everyone what

has to be achieved and summarize what has been

agreed, to help the minute-taker.

US_194-195_Participating_in_meetings_2.indd 194 30/05/16 3:03 pm