Be Prepared for Meetings.

• Author: Miller, Whitney
• Position: Review

A recent television commercial illustrated the ineptness of company meetings. "Who called this meeting?" a man asked as busy people filed into a conference room. His question was met with silence. "I'm outta here," he said with disgust.

Meetings seem to be a way of life these days. If only we didn't have to go to so many, we could get some real work done. It doesn't have to be that way. Meetings, if conducted properly, can be one of the most effective ways of disseminating information, formulating and solidifying plans, and providing direction. Like presenting a speech, conducting a productive meeting is a valuable skill in all professions.

Toastmasters International has prepared a guide for conducting productive meetings and steering away from common pitfalls. The Be Prepared for Meetings package includes a 24-minute video and a comprehensive 34-page study guide. The video presents information contained in the study guide and reinforces it by showing appropriate real-life scenarios. Whether the video supplements the study guide or vice versa depends on how one prefers to learn new material.

The core ideal of Be Prepared is that meetings, though essential, are expensive. They should, therefore, be organized and directed with the goal of being as productive and efficient as possible. While most people intuitively know this, what they don't know (or aren't experienced at) is how to transform that ideal into actual practice. This video and guide step the viewer through the process by prompting full preparation and effective meeting conduct.

Part of the meeting planner's preparation are tools (i.e., agendas and meeting planning forms) and questions such as whether a meeting is really necessary, who should attend, and what will be the best format: lecture, briefing, or discussion?

Once the reasons and methods for the meeting are clear, it is time to think about actually conducting it. The study guide presents a written outline of the three main principles: start fast, stay on track, and close decisively. The video reinforces the principles with multiple supporting correlatives. There is also advice the leader can reference to facilitate the meeting, such as prompting...