How to run a meeting people don't dread

Meetings get a bad reputation, and usually they've earned it. But the problem isn't meetings themselves. It's meetings without a clear reason, a clear end or a clear result.

1. Know why you're meeting

Write one sentence: "By the end of this meeting, we will have ..." If you can't finish that sentence, you may not need a meeting at all. An email or a shared document might do.

2. Invite fewer people

Every extra person adds time and reduces focus. Invite the people who must decide or contribute. Share notes with everyone else.

3. Set a short time, and keep it

Try 15 or 25 minutes instead of 30 or 60. Work tends to fill the time you give it. Start on time, even if someone's late, and end on time, even if you're not finished.

During the meeting

• Share the agenda in advance
• Ask quieter people for their view directly
• Park side topics in a list for later
• Write down decisions as they're made

Finish with three things

Before anyone leaves, confirm what was decided, who does what and by when. Send those three points in writing within the hour.

A good meeting ends with fewer questions than it started with.