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Hello everyone. Welcome to another 2 minute English.
Today we will be talking about running a business meeting and six points you should follow. Let’s start.
1. Make your objective clear.A meeting must have a specific purpose. Ask yourself: What do I wish to accomplish? Are you alerting people to a change in management or a shift in strategy? Are you looking to arrive at a decision on a particular matter? Meetings with vague purposes, such as “General updates,” are rarely a good use of time.
2. Consider who is invited.When you’re calling a meeting, take time to think about who really needs to be there. When people feel that what’s being discussed isn’t relevant to them, or that they lack the skills to assist, they’ll view their attendance at the meeting as a waste of time.
3. Keeping to your schedule. Create an agenda that lays out everything you plan to cover in the meeting, along with a timeline that allots a certain number of minutes to each item. Once you’re in the meeting, put that agenda up for others to see. This keeps people focused.
4. Start on time, end on time. If you have responsibility for running regular meetings and you have a reputation for being someone who starts and ends promptly, you will be amazed how many of your colleagues will make every effort to attend your meetings. Sixty minutes is generally the longest time workers can remain truly engaged.
5. Ban technology.The reality is that if people are allowed to bring iPads or smartphones into the room, they won’t be focusing on the meeting or contributing to it.
6. Follow up.It’s quite common for people to come away from the same meeting with very different interpretations of what went on. Email a memo highlighting what was accomplished to all who attended within 24 hours after the meeting. Document the responsibilities given and any assigned deadlines. That way, everyone will be on the same page.
Thank you!
