Recently, I read an article, which said that American Managers spend about 36% of their time in meetings. While we have never really measured the amount of time we spend attending meetings, many of you will agree that a fairly large portion of your time too goes into meetings – either one to one or in a group.

Is this time well and productively spent? This is a question many of you must have asked yourselves time and again. My answer is, it should be, provided you follow certain simple guidelines for effective meetings.

Consider that you are attending a meeting to discuss future strategies for the company. What can you do to ensure that you personally, the group, and the company benefit from the time spent at the meeting?

• Before the meeting, understand the perspective and agenda, and the contribution you can make.
• Prepare yourself – get your thoughts clear, make notes of important points you would like to raise.
• During the meeting play a proactive and constructive role, give ideas, ask critical questions.
• Take notes of key points, especially in cases where you can directly contribute.
• Prepare a note after the meeting, with action points. Share this with other concerned people you may have to work jointly with.
• Translate the points into action. Deliver results.

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About Author:

As a first generation entrepreneur, Mr. Sushil Handa took his own decisions, made his own mistakes, learnt from them and continued to grow. However, one thing he has sorely missed is the presence of a ‘mentor’ who could have guided him through the various crests and troughs of his career and life. This, along with an innate ability to recognize the uniqueness and potential of ideas, opportunities and people, have evolved into the vision behind The FifthVeda Entrepreneurs – a platform through which Mr. Sushil Handa seeks to partner with young and enterprising people who have the desire to nurture an entrepreneurial dream and are willing to lead from the front, and share his belief and commitment in shaping the creation of a brave new world.