How to Prepare for a Business Meeting

While there are rules to running an effective business meeting, there are many ways one can go about doing so.  Effective meetings take careful planning, time management, recorded outcomes, distributed results and effective follow-up action.  Possibly the most essential key to holding a successful meeting is to plan and put effective meeting components in place ahead of time.  For meetings to work, the goals, attendees, agenda, invitations, meeting materials and meeting location must be established ahead of time.  So how to plan an effective business meeting?

Determine the meeting’s objective.  It’s important to recognize the outcome you hope to achieve by holding a successful meeting.  Are you looking to merely inform people or are you looking to gain business?  Are you looking to get your product out there or are you looking for new business partners to take on?

Invite the right people.  A meeting is only as good as its participants.  “If you don’t include the attendees who can make decision[s], the attendees who need to hear what you have to say or the attendees who have the knowledge you need, you aren’t going to reach the meeting outcomes you need.”  If you can’t get the right people to attend due to scheduling conflicts, there is no shame in cancelling the meeting and rescheduling for a later date.  There is no point in holding a meeting if the right parties won’t be there.  

Make sure you set goals for your meeting.  A worthless meeting is a waste of time and no one in the business community likes to expend extraneous effort on wasted time.  You want to bring value to every meeting you set up.

Set forth the agenda before the meeting.  Think about passing along relevant materials to attendees before the meeting begins.  Of course, there’s no problem with bringing your materials with you but oftentimes it’s helpful for attendees to know what you will be discussing in advance so that they too can in turn be prepared.  “If you want informed input from meeting participants, you need to set their expectations for the meeting.”  This is also helpful if meeting attendees are participating from remote locations.  By previewing meeting materials, attendees will be better prepared to contribute constructive ideas.

Make sure to give remote attendees plenty of notice before a meeting.  Always send along the right conference dial-in number.  There is nothing more frustrating than missing part of a meeting due to miscommunication.  Remote attendees can add just as much value to a meeting as those that are on-site.

Be ready to start on time.  Make sure all preparations are taken care of well in advance.  You want to have a meeting location and conference room set up properly in anticipation of a meeting.  Make sure the room is well set up with a projector or dial-in phones.  Think of providing beverages or small snacks.  Make sure that you have connectivity to your network or slide projector if you are giving an in-person presentation.

Do your homework in advance of a meeting.  Make sure you have a clear outline as to what you plan to discuss.  Go over your meeting materials thoroughly and meticulously.  Ask co-workers to check over your materials for errors or other important information that seems relevant and should be added.  If you send a document for review in anticipation of a meeting, ask for comments or specific feedback.  

Give yourself plenty of time to prepare for a meeting.  You don’t want to walk into a meeting unprepared.  It will reflect badly upon you and your company.  In a meeting, you are selling your corporate image about how you operate your business.  No one wants to invest time and money into a product that is not presented in a clear, concise and effective manner.

Seek out mentors to help you prepare for your meeting.  Ask them what you can expect of the meeting – questions that might have to be answered, uncertainties that might have to be explained, concerns that might have to be addressed.

Think about inviting outside consultants to your meeting not only to prepare for them in advance but so they can give an unbiased opinion about what you are trying to sell or your meeting objectives in general.  

Make proper arrangements in advance.  Make sure you pick a meeting location that is convenient for everyone who attends.  Make sure you are in a sleek, modern space or at least a space that conforms to the kind of image you are selling.  Be sure to know how many people are attending so that you can have the right number of chairs and other accommodations in place.  That way you can get to work quickly without having to make adjustments on the spot.

Provide a comfortable atmosphere.  You don’t want to find yourself in a stuffy meeting space.  Make sure the temperature of the room is pleasant and not too warm or cold.  Check lighting and window shades if you are preparing to present audiovisual materials.  Make sure the room is wheelchair accessible.  Test sound, microphones and ampliphers in advance of any meeting you are setting up.  Make sure the sound in the room does not echo or become muffled.

Make sure you have enough supplies for all attendees such as notebooks, post-its, pens, nametags, podiums, projection screens, video equipment, etc. 

Make sure to bring along someone who can take notes for official record keeping of the meeting.  Designate that person in advance.  Formal meetings may even call for audio recordings.  Steer clear of video taping as that can make participants feel tense or less likely to participate.  It may in fact discourage participation and a flow of ideas, comments and suggestions.  You don’t want to distract from brainstorming.

Give attendees breaks if the meeting goes on for an extended period of time especially if it is an all-day meeting.  Let them rest and stretch their legs every hour or 90 minutes.  Breaks can be short but they are essential so that people can refocus and do not become bored or tune out.

Lastly and quite possibly most importantly, make sure there are no interruptions during your meetings.  Make sure you have wiped your calendar clear for the entire span of the meeting and turn off phones and other electronic devices that can be seen as a distraction or a lack of focus.  Think about putting up a do not disturb sign and inform staff of what types of interruptions are permitted.

Here are some articles you might want to check out about running effective meetings in business:

 “Tips on Preparing for a Pitch Meeting with Prospective Clients’: http://blog.larrybodine.com/2008/02/articles/sales/tips-on-preparing-for-a-pitch-meeting-with-a-prospective-client/

“Preparing for Business Meetings”: http://www.97businesssecrets.com/articles/preparing-for-business-meetings

“How to Prepare for a Meeting”: http://www.wikihow.com/Prepare-for-a-Meeting

“How to Prepare for a Business Meeting”: http://www.ehow.com/how_2123932_prepare-business-meetings.html

Until next time…