A Simple Plan to Turn Meeting Blah-Blah into Effective Action

If something is important enough to meet about, don’t waste that time by not following through.

Here are four steps you can take to ensure your meetings come to a productive close and result in effective action. Don’t overthink this stuff. The list is simple because the solution is simple.

1. Create an action plan. The plan should include key decisions made, next steps, who is responsible for each step, and due dates. Keep it to a page or less.
2. Send quickly. Get it in the e-mail to meeting participants within 24 hours after the meeting, to ensure momentum is not dissipated.
3. Follow up. As deadlines approach, send reminders to make sure people are on track.
4. Report back. Once all the tasks have been accomplished, inform the group and outline next steps, if any.

Make these steps a part of every meeting you run and you will never again be accused of wasting people’s time.

For more on effective meeting management, HBR.org sells a Guide to Making Every Meeting Matter.

How do you ensure that meetings end in effective actions?

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• Three Simple Rules for Productive Meetings