What are the best ways to run a meeting?

One of the prime objectives of meetings is to discuss critical issues with peer decision-makers and decide on something tangible. Corporate meetings can't be for 'agreeing to disagree' - such outcomes are more suitable for negotiations with agitating trade unions where you buy time to set up the agenda for the next meeting, and so forth.

If you happen to be the leader who is presiding over the meeting, it goes without saying that you ought to be in charge of the meeting and for that, you will need more than your position in the organization - to set the agenda.

Maximum Participation

Make sure every participant knows what the agenda of the meeting is, which should ideally be a problem-solving affair. Identify the challenges that your team is facing and get inputs from each HOD or team lead about how they see the problem. In most cases, people don't have a complete convergence of views while in some cases they are not adequately clued up with the nature of the challenges.

The best way to get people involved in the process of tackling a particular challenge that your team is facing is to allow the participating HODs or team leads share their views. Thereafter, insist on a solution from each one.

Get Them All On The Same Page

Once you have all the viewpoints and solutions, deliberate on the pros and cons of each and compile them for shortlisting of the likely nature of the problem and the most likely solution. It is important that your entire team is on the same page about what the problem is and what will be the solution.

Work Towards Growth

Finally, you decide on the plan of action and role to be played by each team in the implementation of the plan that will help the group move towards the solution of the problem. You can't afford inter-departmental or inter-team rivalries to come in the way of the agreed solution. Hence, get the participants to a shared platform or tool where each one records his or her updates of progress in the implementation of the agreed plan.