It seems these days that everyone hates meetings. How many times have you heard someone say, "We have too many meetings," or "I am booked so solid every day in meetings I never have time to get anything done," or "I'm back-to-back..." But when you talk to people, it isn't that they hate meetings; it's that they don't like meetings in which nothing gets done. No one is sure why the meeting was called, or why half the people are in the room, or what exactly is supposed to get done, or what was decided. We complain about meetings, but we seem to attend more and more of them. This book is for people who need to lead effective meetings, in any context. It is a blueprint for how to have your meetings work, defined as, meetings that achieve the results you want to achieve, in the meeting and afterwards. It's a how-to guide for using the time you spend planning, organizing and conducting meetings wisely. It's about getting results through meetings. Why are effective meetings important? Meeting quality matters. Well-run organizations have well-run meetings. Sloppily run organizations have sloppily run meetings. What are the signs of a bad meeting? The meeting starts late. There is no agenda. The meeting runs over. No one is sure what if anything was decided or accomplished. The same meeting to discuss the same topic seems to be held over and over again. No one knows what the next steps are or who is supposed to follow up whom for what. Someone monopolizes the meeting and someone else talks in circles, while yet someone else seems to simply rephrase and repeat what has already been said. Nothing discourages people, whether volunteers or employees, like feeling they are wasting their time. Too many meetings waste time. They sap morale, and leave people frustrated or irritated. This is a shame, as leading an effective meeting is not rocket science once you have a blueprint. If you have an allergic reaction to wasting time in meetings, this book is for you. It is divided into five principal sections: - Preparation - Invitation - Agenda - Delivery - Follow Up The sections outline the five phases of a meeting. For your meeting to be successful (again, defined as, a meeting that achieves the results you want to achieve), you must execute each phase successfully. Meetings versus Presentations The tips in this book are intended to apply to both meetings, in which various people interact in a more-or-less informal setting, and presentations, occasions on which a speaker presents material to an audience in a structured, more-or-less formal setting. Some principles apply more directly to meetings, others to presentations. All are relevant to both.

What makes for a great meeting? As a leader, how can you keep discussions on point and productive? In How to Run a Meeting, Antony Jay argues that too many leaders fail to plan adequately for meetings. In this bestselling article, he defines the characteristics that contribute to success, from keeping formal minutes to acknowledging junior staff first. These guidelines will help you get demonstrably better results from every meeting you run. Since 1922, Harvard Business Review has been a leading source of breakthrough ideas in management practice. The Harvard Business Review Classics series now offers you the opportunity to make these seminal pieces a part of your permanent management library. Each highly readable volume contains a groundbreaking idea that continues to shape best practices and inspire countless managers around the world.

Radical Candor is the sweet spot between managers who are obnoxiously aggressive on the one side and ruinously empathetic on the other. It is about providing guidance, which involves a mix of praise as well as criticism, delivered to produce better results and help employees develop their skills and boundaries of success. Great bosses have a strong relationship with their employees, and Kim Scott Malone has identified three simple principles for building better relationships with your employees: make it personal, get stuff done, and understand why it matters. Radical Candor offers a guide to those bewildered or exhausted by management, written for bosses and those who manage bosses. Drawing on years of first-hand experience, and distilled clearly to give actionable lessons to the reader, Radical Candor shows how to be successful while retaining your integrity and humanity. Radical Candor is the perfect handbook for those who are looking to find meaning in their job and create an environment where people both love their work, their colleagues and are motivated to strive to ever greater success.

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

Ready to take your business to the next level? Find out everything you need to know about leading effective meetings with this practical guide. Meetings are a key part of office life in the 21st century, but frequently last much longer than expected and fail to lead to concrete decisions, leaving participants frustrated and demotivated. Nonetheless, thanks to careful planning, preparation and focus, it is possible to hold productive meetings with engaged participation and effective joint decision-making. In 50 minutes you will be able to: • Prepare effectively for any meeting by making sure you have all the necessary materials and information • Ensure that all participants contribute to the discussion and that time is not wasted in off-topic discussions • Monitor the outcome of the meeting and ensure that the decisions agreed on are implemented ABOUT 50MINUTES.COM| COACHING The Coaching series from the 50Minutes collection is aimed at all those who, at any stage in their careers, are looking to acquire personal or professional skills, adapt to new situations or simply re-evaluate their work-life balance. The concise and effective style of our guides enables you to gain an in-depth understanding of a broad range of concepts, combining theory, constructive examples and practical exercises to enhance your learning.

Meetings are one of the most common business activities across nearly every industry and organization. Billions of dollars are wasted every year on countless, ineffective meetings. Frustrations commonly expressed include a lack of clear purpose, no developed agendas, no one knows why they were invited, not reaching any decisions, discussions running off-track, and a lack of follow up.Meeting management principles and skills are never taught in school, and most organizations fail to offer this as part of their orientation and training programs. And yet, leading meetings is a standard expectation. So where do they expect you to learn this?Imagine if you were trained with a simple, straightforward methodology around leading effective meetings. You would consistently achieve the results you want, people would feel valued for their input, greater collaboration would take place, and all your projects and initiatives would move forward successfully.Unleash Your Meeting Potential¿ guides you through a proven, standardized approach called The 3 Step Meeting Framework¿. This book details everything you should do before, during and after a meeting. You will learn how to:¿Define your meeting purpose, objectives and expected outcomes¿Identify and invite the right people, and select the appropriate meeting format¿Determine the logistics, and develop a meeting appointment¿Create a clear meeting agenda, and lead an effective discussion¿Document the key decisions, action items, and next steps ¿Develop a follow up communication, and hold participants accountable¿And so much more¿Meetings are a powerful enabler to achieving success in your career. If you are looking to lead more effective meetings immediately, this leading, ¿go-to¿ resource book is for you.