A business meeting is a formal gathering of people attracted by the same thing. They are organized around specific objectives and are governed by rules and procedures to ensure efficiency and fairness. Business meetings can be conducted in person or through video conference. Setting up an agenda and giving time for discussions can improve the effectiveness of business meetings.
It is essential to define the agenda for the meeting in a clear and quickly to ensure that all participants know what they’re expected to accomplish. The meeting leader should be able to specify how decisions will be made – whether by consensus, majority vote or by the chairman on his own – to avoid confusion as to who is accountable for which tasks. Make sure everyone is present before starting the discussion. This will allow everyone to fully engage in the conversation.
It is a common mistake to get caught up in trivial but urgent items to the detriment of subjects whose significance is more longer-term. However, it is usually corrected by setting a time frame time when discussion on the subject will begin and staying with it. It is also ideal to set a time limit for the meeting. Very few meetings are productive after two hours, so setting short meetings could save you a lot of secretarial telephone calls at the end.
Sometimes, a participant has something to say, but is afraid of what other people might think that he keeps his thoughts to himself. The chairman must be attentive to this and try to elicit such comments and express interest in them and delight in their value (as opposed to being happy with their acceptance).