Meetings are an integral part of planning events, but without structure, they can quickly become unproductive. When facilitating a meeting, it's important to prioritize 1) efficiency, 2) collaboration, and 3) respect for everyone's time. By implementing these meeting tips you can create a structured environment where discussions stay on track, goals are met, and attendees leave with clear action items!

#1 Thou shall have an agenda and follow it.

The meeting organizer should ensure an agenda is created and sent out beforehand. This step provides attendees the opportunity to start thinking about the meeting ahead of time resulting in more well thought out and planned meeting participation.

It's important that the agenda be followed in chronological order. If the meeting gets off-topic, this tends to set a precedent for future meetings. Eventually, the agenda becomes moot, and no one feels the need to follow it anymore. As the meeting organizer, remind attendees to please stick to the agenda as a way to be respectful to all participants.

Read this blog by ClickUp for inspiration and templates for creating an agenda.

#2 Thou shall have defined roles for attendees.

As the meeting organizer, your role may vary. Sometimes, the meeting organizer may plan, organize, facilitate, and record the meeting. If not, the organizer should assign these roles to other members. One person should arrange the meeting. This role entails setting the time and date, sending invites, and distributing pre-meeting information, such as the agenda and other necessary documents. Another role is to facilitate. This person oversees reading through the agenda and ultimately leads the conversation. A third person should be recording notes. From the notes, minutes and action items should be comprised and distributed as references to the attendees.

#3 Thou shall promptly start and end the meeting.

Meetings take time and effort. The respectful thing to do is to start and end on time. When sending the invite, define the start and end time of the meeting. Referencing commandment one, "thou shall have an agenda and follow it," ensures you stay on task and end the meeting promptly.

#4 Thou shall invite only the necessary individuals.

It may feel tempting to invite all individuals who have skin in the game, but think critically about who the key players are. Like makeup, less is more when it comes to meetings. The more attendees, the more drawn out the meeting will be. Invite only the necessary individuals and encourage them to speak to their team before and after the meeting to get feedback and insight.

#5 Thou shall test technology beforehand.

If you plan to use technology of any kind, test drive it before the meeting. Troubleshooting the conference call speaker or projector can quickly eat up meeting time. Such setbacks can affect the rest of the meeting even after all technology is up and running. The idle time often leads to attendees partaking in personal or off-topic conversations, thus directing their focus and attention to the meeting's purpose.

#6 Thou shall review meeting minutes and action items.

Like the agenda, meeting minutes and action items should be reviewed and thought about before the meeting. Along with the agenda, the meeting organizer can send out the last meeting minutes again for added review. Depending on the time passed between meetings, this can help refresh memories.

#7 Thou shall avoid interruptions and side conversations.

It may seem coarse or awkward to call out individuals for interrupting or having side conversations, but setting a precedent for the current and future meetings is essential. A less abrasive approach is to be proactive and remind attendees beforehand to please avoid these behaviors. Most people don't mean to be intentionally rude, and these conversations happen naturally with no malicious intent. A simple reminder before the meeting helps define expectations.

#8 Thou shall implement and enforce speaking times.

Some of us are just naturally long-winded, and that's OK. An easy way to curb lengthy discussions is to set time limits on topics. You can add max minutes to your agenda. For example:

• Item 1: Review the budget for the removal and replacement of the entrance sidewalk (10 minutes)
• Item 2: Discuss current inventory of decor (15 minutes)

An alternative or added layer of protection is to task your notetaker with timekeeping. When time is ticking, they can give a verbal reminder or use a red sheet of paper to indicate time is up.

#9 Thou shall avoid repeating information.

Say it once or twice and not again. Repeating information can leave attendees feeling frustrated and irritated. When creating your agenda, be cognizant of items that may overlap. Combine or place them one after the other to plan for continuity of conversation. T

#10 Thou shall ask yourself: Could this have been an email?

Pop culture has turned this question into humorous memes, GIFs, and even merchandise, but the question remains valid. Could the meeting be an email? Before even planning a meeting or adding an item to the agenda, think about whether it absolutely requires a meeting. If the attendees of your meeting are paid employees, a good way to think about this question is in terms of finances. What would you rather pay your employees for? This meeting or an hour of uninterrupted work?

We hope these meeting tips help keep your next event planning meeting on track! By following these meeting tips, you can transform your meetings from time-consuming obligations into valuable, results-driven discussions.

With a well-planned agenda, clear roles, and a focus on efficiency, we can guarantee that your meetings will be productive AND engaging. And lastly, before scheduling your next meeting, take a moment to evaluate its necessity and structure—it just might make all the difference to you and your team!