Meetings in a hurry

The steps to successful meetings

Ground Rules for Meetings

• Consider when you're invited to a meeting if you're attendance is really necessary, if not advise the host why
• If you attend a meeting and your input was minimal, discuss the need to attend future meetings with the chair
• Try not to arrange back to back meetings, allow at least 30 minutes between meeting wherever possible

During meetings themselves

• Objectives should be communicated prior to or at the beginning of every meeting, for important meetings the objectives should be communicated at least 24 hours in advance by the host
• In any meeting over 30 minutes in duration, a timed agenda should be issued with items covered in priority order. For important meetings, the agenda should be issued at least 24 hours in advance by the meeting host
• Allow attendees to add agenda items, however the chair has the option to consider suitability and time constraints. A request to add major agenda points should be made to the host prior to the meeting
• Meetings to generally focus on 'next steps' and solutions, rather than progress to date
• Where an individual's presence is not required for the entirety of the meeting, structure the agenda to allow them to attend and leave
• Where it is not obvious, the role of the chair and minute taker is to be established at the beginning of the meeting
• Arrive promptly so that meetings can start on time
• Advise if you might be late, meetings will start if non critical attendees not present. If a critical attendee is more than 15 minutes late and had not advised the Chair of this possibility, the Chair can cancel the meeting and rearrange
• Where individuals are not able to attend, they must give apologies to the Chair at least 4 hours before the meeting, plus provide an update regards any action points from previous meetings. The Chair can cancel and rearrange meeting if non-attendance or unresolved action point is fundamental to the meeting
• Where practical, ask someone to take notes on your behalf if you are unable to attend and brief you afterwards. Absentee to seek out note taker as soon as possible
• The Chair to pay attention to who is missing from the meeting. However the absentee is responsible for updating themselves as soon as possible after the meeting
• Prepare sufficiently for all meetings, be happy to offer suggestions/opinions on-the-spot
• Prior to concluding a meeting, Chair to summarise action points and gain agreement to who is responsible for these and the deadlines
• Note taker to keep eye on time during meeting, advising Chair if overrunning
• As far as possible, all meetings to finish on time
• Where meetings have not been as effective as they should have been, attendees must feedback their thoughts to the Chair either at the meeting or very soon after
• Minutes taken to be issued to all interested parties within 48 hours