Anatomy of a Great Meeting

1. A clear purpose.



2. No more than 12 members. [Beyond that and it gets very strange. The personal dynamics become too complicated.]



3. An agenda circulated in advance if it is a major meeting. If not, have everyone stand and limit the meeting to 10 minutes.



4. Cover the easy items first to create a climate of cooperation and progress.



5. Call on the senior people last and make sure they don't dominate the discussion.



6. Identify items as Action items, Information items, and Analysis items. Make sure the Action items are completed.



7. Unless there is an extraordinary reason, stick to the agenda and prevent detours.


8. At the end of the meeting be crystal clear on specifically who (avoid the vague "we") will do exactly what ( both in quality and quantity) by precisely when (beware of "as soon as possible").