Effective tips to avoid problems in a business meeting

2. Three effective tips to
avoid problems
 Consider who is invited.
 Set time for everyone to speak the same so people
does not talk more than they should.
 Keep the Discussion on Topic.

3. Consider who is invited
 When you’re calling a meeting, take time to think
about who really needs to be there. If you’re
announcing a change, invite the people who are
affected by the announcement. If you’re trying to
solve a problem, invite the people who will be good
sources of information for a solution. When people
feel that what’s being discussed isn’t relevant to
them, or that they lack the skills or expertise to be of
assistance, they’ll view their attendance at the
meeting as a waste of time.


4. Set time for everyone to speak the same
so people does not talk more than they
should.
 Nothing derails a meeting faster than one person
talking more than his fair share. If you notice one
person monopolizing the conversation, call him out.
Say, “We appreciate your contributions, but now we
need input from others before making a decision.”
Be public about it. Establishing ground rules early on
will create a framework for how your group
functions.

5. Keep the discussion on
topic
 Shutting down disruptions is probably the hardest
part of being a good meeting leader. Even if a topic
is not in the agenda, stakeholders may insist on
bringing up their favorite issue during your
requirements meeting. For example, if a manager is
unhappy that one of the reports she wanted was
decided to be out-of-scope, she may want to come
back to the topic as soon as another report is
mentioned in the meeting.

6.  To prevent this type of situation getting your
meeting out of track, if you know someone has an
issue that doesn’t belong in the meeting, talk to her
before the meeting to preemptively discuss (and if
possible resolve) the problem. A meeting leader
must be able to tactfully shut down people who are
getting off-track, whether they’re talking non-stop
or just getting way off-topic.

7.  Bibliography:
 http://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesleadershipforum
/2014/02/05/seven-steps-to-running-the-most-
effective-meeting-possible/#37fb42d11054
 http://www.bridging-the-gap.com/4-mistakes-to-
avoid-when-leading-a-requirements-meeting/