When someone mentions a business meeting, most people have only a couple of words on their mind – boring, long, and often pointless. Often even unnecessary. Why is this happening? First of all, because of the insufficiency of a good organization. Hosts often see this opportunity as a compulsory assignment and their sole purpose is to come up with the solution to the problem. Following that way, they sometimes forget that their coworkers are often ordinary people and that they need some kind of boost and inspiration in order to come up with something. Lack of motivation, a bad atmosphere, and a poorly managed gathering can only lead to an unsuccessful outcome and have the exact opposite effect. Even the best idea or an excellent presentation will fail if situations like this are not planned rather thoroughly.
Of course, it doesn’t have to be this way. There are a number of tricks and useful pieces of advice that can help you change your clients’ and your coworkers’ perception of gatherings of this kind forever. How? By showing them that they can be extremely enjoyable and well thought out.
If you are in a position to lead meetings and want to do the best you can, here are some rules that all successful executives and businessmen should follow.
Determine a proper date and time
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What does this mean? First of all, you should choose a proper time for gathering. The best thing to do it is to choose the date that will be convenient for all participants, which is why you should get in touch with all of them and arrange the most appropriate date and hour.
However, if it happens to be entirely your decision, you should know that there are some preferences when it comes to the part of the day when the gathering should take place. For example, some sources state that it’s most productive to meet and decide about things in the morning, as everyone is rested and fresh. Of course, not too early, as you want your coworkers and associates to think clearly and get enough sleep in order to go through all the meeting points successfully. Regarding the options to avoid, there’s Friday afternoon as probably the most inconvenient option – nobody wants to get occupied with business when the weekend is about to start.
Create an agenda
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Once you’ve decided to schedule an appointment, the next step is to create an agenda that will allow things to be treated appropriately once the gathering takes place. What’s an agenda? It’s a particular sheet of paper with relevant information that allows all participants to observe fundamental points and get informed about things that will be discussed on this occasion. The key points that should be found on it are the background and the purpose of the meeting, the expectations explained to participants, and so on.
When you’re creating this document, make sure to list all the things that you want to talk about with your associates. It’s recommendable to be as precise as you can and define everything in order to make things clear. Also, you should prepare it at least a week before the event and forward it to all the people who’ll attend it, so that they can get prepared.
Make a pleasant atmosphere
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One of the most common reasons why people hate this kind of event is because everything often seems so serious, tedious, and sometimes even pretty uncomfortable. In case you want yours to be an extraordinary exception, you need to make sure your guests are feeling well. Nowadays many meetings have the luxury of taking on a rather informal character. Music, snacks, refreshments are allowed – all in order to make the work environment more pleasant for employees.
You can take advantage of this by preparing a treat for your guests as a small gesture of attention and refresh the atmosphere with a bit of laughter and good jokes. That way, they will all relax and be much more comfortable communicating and resolving those ‘burning issues’.
Provide proper transportation for your guests
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Some people will have to hit the road in order to attend your meeting. Because of this, you’ll be obliged to take care of the way they’ll reach the site. Depending on whether you have previously agreed that you may already meet the client at the airport or the station, you should welcome them. Alternatively, it’s also a decent idea to simply arrange transportation from the airport or the station to the hotel or the company.
In such cases, you should be ready to pay in advance for the taxi or the car that will bring them. Also, if the company is financially stable enough, you can opt for a more luxurious variant and send a limo to pick them up. TorontoLimoRentals and similar firms have many options and offer related to corporate limo services – not only will your associates feel like complete stars, but they’ll see that you appreciate their presence and respect them.
When it comes to the cab, you never know the condition of the car, and you definitely don’t want to risk and potentially leave a bad first impression. If you’re sending a business car and driver, also make sure the car is clean and tidy and give the driver some basic guidance.
Lead the meeting in the best possible way
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Regarding the meeting itself, do the things because of which you have organized it in the first place. Don’t get off the topic and make sure that all of the things you have stated in the agenda are done and revised. As all the participants that attend the gathering are equally important, listening and accepting their suggestions is of great significance. It makes them a part of that mini-universe and feels useful and capable of resolving things.
Let everyone ask questions and put their two cents in all this. Everyone should be given a chance to speak and express their opinion. Discuss the assignments given to everybody and make sure that everyone has acknowledged and understood what their duties are. Your attitude should be friendly, not bossy, as it’s the best way to approach your co-workers and get the results of the highest quality.
No worries – even if you’re terribly afraid that something will go wrong and that you’ll miss some immensely important things, the chances for that are minimal if you follow these steps. When you show the appreciation and the sense of organization, your partners and colleagues will know the best way to admire it and not take it for granted. Occasions like these will greatly strengthen your organizational skills, make you more secure, and help you do your job in a much better way.
