Using an Agenda and Allowing Time For Discussion
A business meeting is an official gathering of people interested in the same subject. They are scheduled around specific objectives and are governed by rules and procedures that guarantee efficiency and fairness. Meetings for business can be held in person or via video conference. Making business meetings more efficient can be achieved by creating an agenda, and then allowing time for discussion.
It is important to set the agenda for the meeting clearly and quickly to ensure that all participants know what they must do. The meeting leader should explain the method of deciding via consensus, majority vote, or by the chairman alone to avoid any confusion as to who is accountable for what. Wait until everyone has arrived before starting the discussion. This allows them to fully engage in the discussion.
It is a common omission to spend too much time on minor, urgent issues to the detriment which are more in the long run, but this can be avoided by setting an objective for when the discussion of the subjects will begin, and adhering to it. Additionally, it is important to establish a time limit for the meeting, because very few meetings achieve anything of any value after two hours and it can cut down on hours of secretarial telephoning at the end of the day to fix a short meeting duration on the agenda.
Sometimes a participant has something to say, but is so concerned about the opinions of others that he keeps his thoughts to himself. The chairman should be aware of this and encourage contributions from such people by expressing excitement and interest in their browse around this site value instead of expressing gratification for their agreement.