Checklist for meetings - Articles about Psychology

Print up an agenda
- Explain the purpose of the meeting
- Explain how it furthers the needs of the organization as a whole
Limit the discussion and the need for an excessive number of committee meetings
Delegate authority to each participant
Set up a mechanism to make the participants accountable for their tasks

Send out a meeting notice and detailed agenda with a specific time that the meeting will start and end. Stick to it, even if the agenda is not completed.

More important than the stated agenda itself, the agenda specifies what will not be discussed. The AOB (Any Other Business) section at the end of the meeting restricts topics to those that the participants are willing to remain for - overtime.

All meetings should have a stated start and end time. They should last between 45 and 90 minutes. If there is not enough material to last for 45 minutes, you should consider whether it is possible to postpone the meeting until there is more to discuss.

Distribute a fresh copy of the agenda at the meeting, as well as paper and pencils.

Don't allow any off-topic discussions. It can be done. I run close to 100 on-line forums and my participants appreciate it.