Preface -- Setting the meeting stage -- So many meetings and so much frustration -- Get rid of meetings? no, solve meetings through science -- Evidence-based strategies for leaders -- The image in the mirror is likely wrong -- Meet for 48 minutes -- Agendas are a hollow crutch -- The bigger, the badder -- Don't get too comfortable in that chair -- Deflate negative energy from the start -- No more talking! -- The folly of the remote call-in meeting -- Putting it all together -- Epilogue: trying to get ahead of the science' using science -- Tool: meeting quality self-assessment -- Tool: sample engagement survey and 360 feedback questions on meetings -- Tool: good meeting facilitation checklist -- Tool: huddle implementation checklist -- Tool: agenda template -- Tool: guide to taking good meeting minutes/notes -- Tool: expectations assessment -- Acknowledgments -- References -- Index

This book will change your mind forever about that "useless" meeting you are forced to attend. Paul Axtell emphasizes that meetings are vital to the work of successful organizations--we need to master the skill sets for designing, leading, and participating in meetings. A consultant with more than 30 years in the business, Axtell outlines 8 strategies with a host of compelling ideas you can put into action immediately. This is a book for the manager who recognizes that meetings are at the core of the work you do, the supervisor who wants to be wonderful to work for, the employee who wants to contribute as much as possible, the project leader who wants every team meeting to add velocity to the project. Meetings are essential. So let's make them work.

This book will guide you in creating and conducting meetings that accomplish what they need to - make decisions and have them carried out. It gives you practical, specific, easy-to-use steps you can take to - identify and work within your organization's meeting culture, modifying it if needed, - design agendas that stimulate creativity and focus discussion, - conduct meetings that encourage full participation and collaboration, - help shape decisions so they are clear and lead to effective action, - deal with unhelpful meeting habits and difficult behaviors, - record policy decisions so that they are readily available for reference in the future. Bruce Partridge speaks directly to the person who will chair board or committee meetings on a monthly or weekly basis for community organizations, religious congregations, housing co-operatives, service groups and political associations. His book can also be used for work-group meetings in business and other professional settings. And since the basic principles are similar across types and sizes of meetings, it offers guidance for planning and conducting Annual General Meetings and other large-group meetings....

Maximize Your Team Meetings Creating great sales meetings week in and week out is challenging, but in Three Word Meetings, Lisa Thal helps provide some fun and interesting options to get your sales team motivated and inspired. By providing a full year of simple three-word topics that can be discussed at each weekly meeting, the author has created an actionable plan for improving the much-maligned gatherings. She has done the work for you—just add or adjust content as you see fit. No matter what industry you’re in, you will benefit from the author’s knowledge and expertise.

Don’t let another unproductive meeting waste your time. Mastering Meetings that Matter is the game changing resource you need to transform your meetings from mediocre to exceptional. This guide is designed for leaders and facilitators who want to increase the relevance, impact and significance of their meetings.

The author explains why it's essential to begin the preparations by deciding what the meeting is intended to accomplish. That, in turn, determines what kind of meeting you should conduct: informational, advisory, or problem-solving. The author breaks down the essential tasks involved and even suggests the right type of person to handle each one. She describes various types of troublesome meeting attendees-from accusers and apathetics to fence-sitters and know-it-alls-and offers advice on how to deal tactfully but firmly with them all. The author also tackles working effectively with the media, a subject that terrifies most planners. True stories of public meetings, both good and bad, add humor to her no-nonsense narrative. Follow her step-by-step checklist and leave nothing to chance."