"Meeting Facilitator's role is crucial" - Essentials to make an Office / Business Meeting Productive

     Prolonged meetings with no specific outcomes & unrealistic expectations are common in many organizations. A lot of effort goes into conducting an office / business meeting, a failed meeting is a waste of organizations resources and time, the pain of being inconclusive at the end is much more frustrating.

Meetings fail because of poor planning, lack of preparedness and lack of etiquette.

     Meetings are important part of organizations, where employees come together on a common platform,   to exchange opinions, ideas or views to reach a conclusion, solution or a decision after a due consultation with all the concerned representatives, in the best interest of the organization as a whole.

      And hence to make any meeting effective, proper planning and communication is essential. Let us have a look at office / business meeting essentials from the perspective of Meeting Facilitator.

   A facilitator of meeting has the bigger responsibility of successfully conducting a meeting, intervening whenever & wherever required so that the discussion is smooth and on track all the time. It is essential that the person facilitating has the proper knowledge and understanding of the various departments, jargon and concerns involved in the meeting. Communication & People management skills are definitely, a priority as well. Let us further briefly have a look at the following:

1. Meeting Venue / Time:

   After due consideration of convenience for all the participants involved, the meeting venue and time should be fixed. This must be communicated at least 1 week ahead.

2. Meeting Agenda:

    The meeting agenda should be clear and specific.

3. Attire:

    With organizations moving towards a diverse atmosphere this might not be so specific in future, but if your organization culture demands it, then it must be properly communicated whether business formals / business casuals or others if any to be adhered to. This will also help to avoid any embarrassing moments.

4. Communications:

    A clear communication of the previous meetings (if any) Minutes, discussion, decisions, reports should be attached with the mail for the reference of all the participants and this will also ensure that all involved are on the same page. Efforts should be made to make it as brief, succinct and to the point as possible.

   Also the expected reports / data / Information (if any) from each of the participants involved must be clearly reinforced again.

  Instructions regarding the usage of laptops / Cell Phones should be clearly communicated.

   Breaks of around 15 – 20 minutes be provided every 2 hrs and meal breaks should be sufficiently long based on the arrangements.

   Reminders regarding the meeting one 24 hrs prior and one 2hrs prior will definitely help to avoid any late comings / absenteeism.

5. Intervention:

   At appropriate times a facilitator has to intervene to keep the meeting on track, avoid any conflicts, arguments, and to oversee the goal of the meeting and fulfilling the agenda.

6. Negotiation / facilitation:

   Facilitator needs to keep a check if all the concerned participants are being heard and if they are being understood the right way. It is the responsibility of the facilitator to clarify the information being exchanged, if there is a need for any.

   Facilitator may also need to pitch in wherever necessary to help in achieving the desired or a mutually acceptable decision.

   It is also very important to stick to meeting closing time, because an unusually prolonged meeting depicts poor planning & the meeting participants will be bugged by their preoccupations and in all possibility will not yield any fruitful result. It is best to wrap up and rearrange as soon as possible again.

7. Minutes of Meeting & further communication:

   It is good to have one person the responsibility to capture the minutes of the meeting. The same should be communicated / circulated with agreed upon targets, responsible person, due dates, data / information / reports expected and all the various other details to keep a track of the meeting & its further implementation.