How many times have you found yourself in a conference room full of people with no purpose and no agenda? I'll wager that 80% of corporate meetings are conducted this way. This article will give you a solid framework to conduct effective, focused meetings so that you and your teammates will know exactly what do and expect before, during and after the meeting.

First determine whether or not you really need a meeting. Can the topic be handled via email or 1-1 conversations? If it really is necessary to gather the troops together, the key to effective meetings is effective preparation. You must have a pre-planned agenda. Slapping one together haphazardly before gathering your colleagues is not acceptable. As the project lead, you need to lead, and that means knowing what's going to happen in your own mind before you get a bunch of people in a room.

To create an effective agenda, define the purpose of the meeting clearly on paper. What do you want to specifically accomplish? What is the desired outcome? As Steven Covey writes in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, "Begin with the end in mind".

The best presentations follow the three-tiered approach of "Tell em what you're gonna tell em, tell em, and then tell em what you told 'em". Effective meeting agendas should follow this same formula.

Next, identify who should attend and when they are available. People should only attend your meeting if they add value. What is each person's role in the meeting and how will it help you achieve your desired outcome? Many times you'll need to include project sponsors, vendors, or even upper management for political reasons. Do you need to have a 1-1 conversation with any of these individuals beforehand to diffuse any potential conflicts? The last thing you want is the heated distraction of conflict in a conference room.

Speaking of conference rooms, are yours easy to book? The best situation in large companies is to have an automated conference room booking system integrated with an email/calendar application such as Microsoft Exchange or Lotus Notes. Ah, the luxury of finding out schedules and available rooms online! However, if you're one of the few who still have to call Helen the receptionist to get conference room A-27 make sure you call her and reserve the room BEFORE you confirm all the details with your team.

Get on everyone's calendar at least three days in advance if possible, but no further out than a week. Most people have very short attention

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