Online meetings are a great way to get all workers that are involved in one task together to discuss important issues, but despite the popularity of internet conference calls, attending group functions in person still takes up a large chunk of employees' time.

The reason for these get-togethers varies wildly, with some concentrating on where the best location for staff parties is, to others that may result in getting more business. Despite this they will all have the same goal, which is to reach their objectives within the time limit given. This sounds very simple, but facilitating meetings is not always as straightforward as it should be. To ensure that you keep in control of events there are a number of areas worth thinking about.

Pre-meeting practicalities

If you work in an office where your colleagues struggle to find space to reserve for meetings, then make sure you book rooms far in advance of the group function. You'll first have to check that all those who need to attend have the necessary spare time, so send out notices early and get the responses you need before booking an office. Before the meeting kicks off get to the reserved space early and check all the software you need is working.

It's a good idea to keep numbers of technical experts close by so they can assist you if appliances are not working correctly. Also make a note of contact arrangements of attendees in case you need to track them down if they're late or have forgotten about the get-together.

Clear content

Being organised, clear and direct will help you to discuss and reach the meeting's objectives in good time. In order to get attendees working with you towards the goals of the group function, create and print an agenda. If necessary, you could start working on this ahead of the meeting, especially when important subjects are being discussed.

This allows stakeholders to give their input and makes sure all angles are covered within the time reserved. When there is a lot of information to cover, give each speaker a specified chunk of time to discuss their points. These documents should be sent to all attendees or interested parties so they can see what issues are being highlighted during the function.

Keeping it going

Sometimes controversial subjects are covered in meetings and discussions can get heated or go on tangents that eat into the time slots of other topics. At times like this, you will need to bring the focus back to the original subjects, which is easier if you have an agenda to refer to. Outspoken colleagues or those who are keen to express their negative views may not stick to agendas, and in these instances there are ways of handling challenging behaviour, which are covered in training sessions if you wish to learn more.

If the meeting is particularly long, you might find the opposite is true, in that attendees are not very responsive as they are tired or their concentration is lacking. Schedule breaks at these times and put on refreshments if necessary.

Follow-up

Once the meeting has finished concentrate on recording its outcome while its details are still fresh in your mind. Put notes in order and get them sent out to attendees to check that you all agree on the function's established goals. Any disagreements or discontent with the outcome may need to be followed up in further meetings.