A business meeting is a formal gathering of people to transact business related to their common interests. They have specific objectives and are controlled by rules and procedures to ensure they are productive and fair. Business meetings can be conducted in person or via video conference. Making meetings more efficient can be accomplished by creating click here to investigate an agenda and providing time for discussion.

Before the meeting gets underway it is crucial to define the agenda clearly and promptly and ensure that everyone is aware of what is expected of them. The leader of the meeting must clarify the procedure for making decisions — whether by consensus, majority vote or by the chairman alone to avoid confusion as to who is responsible for which tasks. Be sure that everyone is there before beginning the discussion. This allows them to fully participate in the conversation.

It is a common error to get caught up in trivial but urgent items to the detriment of topics that are more important in the long term, but it is usually fixed by setting an objective time when discussion on such subjects will begin and sticking to it. Also, it is advisable to set an end time for the meeting, since very few meetings achieve anything of any value within two hours. This can cut down on hours of secretarial phone calls at the end the day to establish the time of the meeting on the agenda.

Sometimes, participants have something to say but may be sufficiently nervous about the reaction others that they keep it to himself. The chairman should be aware and encourage contributions from such people by expressing interest and delight in their value, as opposed to gratification for their approval.