So make plans with their calendars in mind before you propose dates to other attendees.
It is not a good idea to disrupt normal operations for too long. Don’t ask for too large chunks of time of the attendees. Don’t go back and forth by asking everyone about the best time for the meeting. Propose possible dates.
Offer a detailed agenda
Give attendees time to read through your agenda thoroughly. Send it at least three days before the meeting date. Also make sure that your agenda covers all the objectives and goals of the meeting. The agenda dictates the flow and the outcome of the whole meeting. Follow these steps, as recommended by the business2community.com website:
- Begin your agenda with the most important details (start time, who is going to attend, etc.)
- Put together a brief set of goals and objectives (two sentences maximum)
- Break down the objectives by creating topics (rank them in order of importance; the most important topics should be addressed first)
- Try to limit the agenda to five topics maximum. Long meetings tend to be less productive. A shorter meeting is also much easier to schedule.
Keep attendees engaged
In order to engage people from the very beginning, provide them with complete information. Address any queries as quickly as possible; you do not want anyone to be left in the dark. Try your best to plan the agenda in such a way that every attendee will have chance to speak or contribute. Attendees will thus have a sense of responsibility for measures passed at the meeting. Consequently they will be more alert and more willing to become actively involved.
-jk-