As this article shows, there's a lot you can do to ensure a meeting succeeds in benefiting your organization.

Set the Purpose
To have a good meeting, you have to know what you want to accomplish. What's your ideal result: A decision made? A problem solved? Be very clear about the meeting's purpose and you're half way to achieving it.

Invite the Right People
Try to keep your meeting to no more than six to eight people. Any more and most of the participants don't get a good opportunity to air their views. People spout rather than discuss. And larger crowds encourage some to perform rather than think. Also, choose participants carefully. Among the criteria:

. Invite those with essential information/expertise/background.
. Invite those directly affected.
. Invite those with exceptionally good analytical skills in areas germane to the topic.
. Invite those with political clout, if necessary.
. Avoid, if possible, those who like to show off, the argumentative, and those fundamentally unable to stay on track.

Circulate the Agenda
After inviting people to the meeting, write an agenda for it. At the top of the agenda, state what the meeting should accomplish. ("Purpose: To decide whether to go forward with producing the Microbot.") Remind people to bring special material if necessary, and let them know if they will be expected to speak at length for any reason. Some people circulate an agenda a week beforehand. That's too long-people will lose it or forget about it. A day or two in advance is early enough.

Lead the Meeting
If a meeting is to succeed, it needs a leader. That's you. Make it your job to get results. To do that:

1. Set a time limit and announce it at the beginning. "I think we can get through this agenda in forty-five minutes. I promise to have you out of here at 2:45." This puts everyone on notice that the clock is ticking. Take minutes or, preferably, designate someone else secretary. Let people know they'll get a summary of the meeting within a day. That way they can concentrate on discussing, not note-taking.

2. Stick to the agenda. Consider it inviolable. Give a certain amount of time to each item and check your watch regularly. If you don't, either the meeting will run over or you won't accomplish your purpose. (How often have you been to a meeting in which the whole time was taken up by just two of many agenda items?)

3. Redirect conversation when necessary. "That's pretty interesting, Lenny. I'd love to discuss it with you sometime. Getting back to the problem at hand..." Sometimes you have to be firm if people are going on and on. "Thanks Carmine. Can we hear from someone else on this?" Directing discussion in a meeting takes skill, diplomacy, and tact. But it's an ability that will serve you well.

Summarize, Come to a Conclusion, and Call for Action
If you're successful, the meeting will have come to a useful conclusion. End the meeting by summarizing the discussion and stating the conclusion: "John's evidence, I think, shows persuasively that there is a market for the Microbot. Agnes proved we could manufacture it without buying new equipment, and Mark seemed thrilled with the marketing angles the product provides. So we're agreed: We move forward to the prototype stage."

You can be sure anyone who doesn't see things your way will jump in: "I didn't say we wouldn't have to buy any new equipment-just nothing major. But I'm still in favor of it."

Now's the time also to remind people of their commitments. "For the next meeting, Thursday at 2:00, Agnes will provide a design spec for the Microbot, Mark will sketch out a preliminary space ad, and John will give his opinion on pricing options. Any questions?"

Send Along the Results
Within a day, send a copy of the meeting's minutes and conclusions to each participant. Be sure to include their commitments going forward and when the next meeting will take place. If you want results, you must follow up on these commitments. Just because they are priorities to you doesn't mean they are priorities to anyone else.

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