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We’ve all experienced the never-ending business meeting, or the dull and
dreary meeting agenda. And who can forget the attendee who rambles on and on,
wasting away valuable time? There’s nothing worse than an unproductive business
meeting, and as a small business owner, you certainly don’t want to be the one
responsible for it.
In this series, we’ll take a look at some basic business meeting tips that
can help you hold successful business meetings and make the right professional
impression. As you get started, consider the following:
Identify the meeting goal. Make sure you are clear about the
purpose of the meeting. Is it simply to share information and educate attendees?
Are you soliciting ideas, or is networking the entire purpose? Clearly define
the reason for the meeting, and make sure every detail is geared to meeting that
purpose.
Set the agenda. Brainstorm the type of agenda items that
will meet your goal. Solicit speakers or contributors that can help reach the
goal, and inform them of their time allotment. List speakers or agenda
contributors and their time allotment on the agenda to help the meeting stay on
time.
Establish a meeting facilitator. Whether you run the meeting
or you ask a more experienced professional, the facilitator will need to keep
the meeting running on time, introduce housekeeping items or rules, and keep all
attendees on topic and focused on the meeting goal at hand.
Review the agenda. Before the meeting takes place, make sure
all parties involved have been given a draft of the agenda, and ask for feedback
or changes prior to the meeting date. The more precise and defined your agenda
is, the more likely the meeting will accomplish the goal.
In the next part of this series, we’ll examine additional tips to running a
successful business meeting. | 
